525 William Penn Place
Encyclopedia
525 William Penn Place was completed in 1951 for the Mellon National Bank
and the U.S. Steel Corporation. At 520 feet (158.5 m) tall, it was the second tallest building in Pittsburgh until 1970, the third tallest until 1984. The building has 41 floors and approximately 950000 square feet (88,257.9 m²) of office space. Presently it is the third largest office building by square feet in downtown Pittsburgh.
Renaissance I building initiative to rebuild downtown Pittsburgh from the ground up. The building was built by Pittsburgh Pirates
owner John W. Galbreath with loans from the Mellon National Bank and additional financing from insurance companies. At the time of construction, Mellon purchased floors 2-8 by deed in 1951 from John W. Galbreath. The building was designed by Harrison & Abramovitz
with construction by the Turner Construction Company.
The original plan for the building was to construct the ground floors in the same architectural design as the Mellon National Bank on Smithfield Street adjacent to the skyscraper and to allow open flow of Mellon employees between the two buildings with Mellon occupying the first eight floors. This plan was later modified during construction to give the entire building its own modernist style and an open shared lobby with three elevator banks and multiple passages between the skyscraper and the Mellon National Bank on Smithfield Street. U.S. Steel leased the floors 9 through 37 for their corporation and various subsidiaries. The top floors were reserved for the T. Mellon & Sons Company, various Mellon family charities offices, and a penthouse for philanthropist Richard King Mellon
.
U.S. Steel was the primary tenant until completing their own skyscraper, U.S. Steel Tower
, on Grant Street in 1970. At that time, Mellon Bank owned floors 2-8 and leased the remainder of the building from the John W. Galbraith Co. In April 1982, Mellon Bank finally purchased the remainder of the building for $10 million.
Mellon Bank (since 2008 The Bank of New York Mellon) remains the owner of 525 William Penn Place and the largest occupier of space at approximately half the building (approximately 500,000 square feet). The remainder of the space is leased to various businesses and law firms with Citizens Bank
as the largest tenant occupying approximately 250,000 square feet (1/4 of the building). Citizens Bank also leases from Mellon signage rights to the building which include the right to erect signage at the top of the tower and above the entry closest to Fifth Avenue
.
two blocks away with the designation of Three Mellon Bank Center (later Three Mellon Center). In 2002 it reverted back to the original name of 525 William Penn Place with Mellon's sale of retail branches in the region to Citizens Bank and that name adorning the structure. Many locals use the signage on the top of the building in referencing it.
In the basement garage, accessible by vehicles from Oliver Avenue for deliveries, exists a working vehicle turntable. Trucks can enter, unload, and then be "turned around" by operating the turntable to exit the building.
There is a tunnel that runs between 525 William Penn Place and One BNY Mellon Center on Grant Street, running under the Union Trust building. This tunnel connects all three buildings and while not open to the public, remains in daily use by building tenants.
, the camera panning skyward from a street view.
Mellon Financial
Mellon Financial Corporation, was one of the world's largest money management firms. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it was in the business of institutional and high-net-worth-individual asset management, including the Dreyfus family of mutual funds; business banking; and shareholder and...
and the U.S. Steel Corporation. At 520 feet (158.5 m) tall, it was the second tallest building in Pittsburgh until 1970, the third tallest until 1984. The building has 41 floors and approximately 950000 square feet (88,257.9 m²) of office space. Presently it is the third largest office building by square feet in downtown Pittsburgh.
History
525 William Penn Place was one of the first skyscrapers built in Pittsburgh as part of longtime Mayor David Lawrence'sDavid L. Lawrence
David Leo Lawrence was an American politician who served as the 37th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1959 to 1963. He is to date the only mayor of Pittsburgh to be elected Governor of Pennsylvania. Previously, he had been the mayor of Pittsburgh from 1946 through 1959...
Renaissance I building initiative to rebuild downtown Pittsburgh from the ground up. The building was built by Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
owner John W. Galbreath with loans from the Mellon National Bank and additional financing from insurance companies. At the time of construction, Mellon purchased floors 2-8 by deed in 1951 from John W. Galbreath. The building was designed by Harrison & Abramovitz
Harrison & Abramovitz
Harrison & Abramovitz was an American architectural firm based in New York and active from 1941 through 1976, a partnership of Wallace Harrison and Max Abramovitz....
with construction by the Turner Construction Company.
The original plan for the building was to construct the ground floors in the same architectural design as the Mellon National Bank on Smithfield Street adjacent to the skyscraper and to allow open flow of Mellon employees between the two buildings with Mellon occupying the first eight floors. This plan was later modified during construction to give the entire building its own modernist style and an open shared lobby with three elevator banks and multiple passages between the skyscraper and the Mellon National Bank on Smithfield Street. U.S. Steel leased the floors 9 through 37 for their corporation and various subsidiaries. The top floors were reserved for the T. Mellon & Sons Company, various Mellon family charities offices, and a penthouse for philanthropist Richard King Mellon
Richard King Mellon
Richard King Mellon , commonly known as R.K., was an American financier from Ligonier, Pennsylvania.-Biography:The son of Richard B. Mellon, nephew of Andrew W...
.
U.S. Steel was the primary tenant until completing their own skyscraper, U.S. Steel Tower
U.S. Steel Tower
U.S. Steel Tower, also known as the Steel Building , is the tallest skyscraper in Pittsburgh, the fourth tallest building in Pennsylvania, and the 37th tallest in the United States. Completed in 1970, the tower has 64 floors to and has of leasable space. Its original name was the U.S. Steel...
, on Grant Street in 1970. At that time, Mellon Bank owned floors 2-8 and leased the remainder of the building from the John W. Galbraith Co. In April 1982, Mellon Bank finally purchased the remainder of the building for $10 million.
Mellon Bank (since 2008 The Bank of New York Mellon) remains the owner of 525 William Penn Place and the largest occupier of space at approximately half the building (approximately 500,000 square feet). The remainder of the space is leased to various businesses and law firms with Citizens Bank
Citizens Financial Group
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is an American bank headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, which operates in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Citizens is a wholly owned...
as the largest tenant occupying approximately 250,000 square feet (1/4 of the building). Citizens Bank also leases from Mellon signage rights to the building which include the right to erect signage at the top of the tower and above the entry closest to Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue (Pittsburgh)
Fifth Avenue is one of the longest streets in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It begins downtown and moves eastward for about seven or eight miles...
.
Renovations
The first major building renovation of 525 William Penn Place occurred from 1986 to 1987 with a complete building renewal. New windows (approximately 3,344), heating, air, plumbing, and new mechanical systems were installed. In 2001, a new renovation commenced with the complete rebuilding of the lobby, building entrances, elevator cabs, and restrooms. The building was awarded an Energy Star label in 2008 for its operating efficiency. In 2010, the building was further awarded a Gold Level LEED certification by the US Green Building Council.Building name
Being primarily a bank office building and due to the ever changing banking industry, the name of the building has often been in confusion. Originally known as 525 William Penn Place from construction until 1970, it was then named the Mellon Bank Center. It was renamed again in 1984 with the completion of BNY Mellon CenterBNY Mellon Center
BNY Mellon Center may refer to:*BNY Mellon Center at One Boston Place, Boston, Massachusetts*BNY Mellon Center , Pennsylvania*BNY Mellon Center , Pennsylvania...
two blocks away with the designation of Three Mellon Bank Center (later Three Mellon Center). In 2002 it reverted back to the original name of 525 William Penn Place with Mellon's sale of retail branches in the region to Citizens Bank and that name adorning the structure. Many locals use the signage on the top of the building in referencing it.
Interesting facts
There are many short distance elevators located throughout the building. For example, four small capacity elevators exist that provide service only between floors two through eight. Two more elevators exist for service only between floors 38 - 41.In the basement garage, accessible by vehicles from Oliver Avenue for deliveries, exists a working vehicle turntable. Trucks can enter, unload, and then be "turned around" by operating the turntable to exit the building.
There is a tunnel that runs between 525 William Penn Place and One BNY Mellon Center on Grant Street, running under the Union Trust building. This tunnel connects all three buildings and while not open to the public, remains in daily use by building tenants.
Popular Culture
The skyscraper makes a cameo in the 2010 rap video Black and yellowBlack and Yellow
"Black and Yellow" is a song by American rapper Wiz Khalifa from his debut studio album, Rolling Papers. It was released on September 14, 2010 as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Wiz Khalifa, and StarGate, and it was produced by StarGate. It was released as a CD single in...
, the camera panning skyward from a street view.