PPL Building


The PPL Building, formerly the Pennsylvania Power and Light Building, is a 24-story, office building in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is the tallest building in the city, and the tallest in the Lehigh Valley after Bethlehem's Martin Tower was demolished on May 19, 2019. The building serves as the headquarters for PPL Corporation, the main electric utility for the Lehigh Valley.
The PPL Building is often uniquely illuminated at night, especially during the Christmas season. During the 1960s, PPL supported the local United Fund community fund drive program by using the building's brightly lit windows at night to spell out the abbreviation "U.F." to remind area residents to contribute to the fund drive.

History

The PPL Building was built from 1926 to 1928. It was built by Pennsylvania Power & Light, forerunner of PPL, and to this day has been the headquarters of the company. The building was designed by architect and skyscraper pioneer Harvey Wiley Corbett, who would later have a hand in designing New York's Rockefeller Center among other buildings. The building exterior features bas reliefs by Alexander Archipenko. In 1930, the PPL Building was named the "best example of a modern office building" by Encyclopædia Britannica, and also featured the world's fastest elevator.
Exterior shots of the building were used in the motion picture Executive Suite.