In 1888, the five-story Allegheny County Courthouse was built. At the time it was the tallest building in the city of Pittsburgh. The Courthouse's 249 foot tower stood for 25 years as the highest peak in town. Near the end of the 19th century the use of structural steel revolutionized construction design. The strength of steel meant buildings could now rise higher than ever before. The entire landscape of the city, now populated by buildings five-storys high or less, would soon erupt skyward.

In 1895, the 13-story Carnegie Building rose on Fifth Avenue. This was the first steel-framed tower built in the city. Soon, the skyline was dotted with new towers that rose above the Triangle. The Frick Building, built in 1902, was the first building to reach 20-storys. A year later, the 24-story Farmers Bank Building, at 344 feet, eclipsed the Courthouse tower as the tallest structure in the city. A decade later the First National Bank Building rose to a height of 26-storys. Seventeen years passed before the Grant Building, at 37-storys, became the city's tallest skyscraper.

In Oakland, east of downtown Pittsburgh, on the University of Pittsburgh campus, ground was broken in 1927 for a proposed 52-story Gothic Cathedral. Although it only rose to 42-storys, the Cathedral of Learning is an architectural masterpiece, and the tallest educational building in the country.

Not to be outdone, the Gulf Building, erected in 1932, rose to a height of 583 feet, or 44-storys. This was the end of what might be considered the city's first renaissance, but could more accurately be refered to as "modernization."

The first renaissance began after World War II. Steel for construction was again readily available and a building boom ensued, beginning in 1950 with the construction of the US Steel/Mellon Bank Building (now Three Mellon Center). The stainless steel skyscraper rose to 550 feet, 33 feet short of the Gulf Building. The next twenty years saw several new skyscrapers re-draw the city skyline. The end of Renaissance I was punctuated by the towering US Steel Building, dedicated in 1970. The tower rose to an incredible 831 feet, or 64 stories, making it visible to the South Hills over the 600-foot Mount Washington.

The 64-story U.S. Steel rises above the City of Pittsburgh

Renaissance II began in the 1980s, and saw several new skyscrapers rise skyward. One PPG Place and Oxford Centre eclipsed 40 storys, and the new headquarters of Mellon Bank, One Mellon Center, rose to 54 storys, making it also visible to the southern communities. The final skyscraper built during the 1980s boom was the 31-story Fifth Avenue Place, dedicated in 1988.

For twenty years the Steel City Skyline remained the same. This changed in September of 2008, when workers added the final beam to Pittsburgh's newest skyscraper, the 23-story Three PNC Plaza. The building opened in 2009. PNC Financial Services Group then announced, in 2011, that work will soon begin on a 40-story corporate headquarters, known as The Tower at PNC Plaza. Construction is set to begin in 2012 and finish in 2015.

<PNC Planning 2012 Start On New Headquarters Tower Downtown>

Artists conception of new 40-story PNC Tower.
Construction is to be completed in 2015.

Skyscrapers built in Pittsburgh since the dawn of the 20th century.

For more information on Pittsburgh Skyscrapers:

Wikipedia - List of Tallest Buildings in Pittsburgh.
Skyscrapers.com - Pittsburgh Skyscraper Diagram.