|
Left: One Liberty Place; right: Two Liberty
PlaceAccording to Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City," when new office buildings were developed west of City Hall in the 1950s, an informal 'gentleman's agreement' limited new buildings to a height no greater than the 491 foot City Hall tower, thereby enabling the statue of William Penn atop the tower to preside symbolically over the city" (132). However, these two office buildings, finished by 1990, violate that agreement. One Liberty Place, the tallest building in Philadelphia, is 960 feet to the top of its spire. Both towers have blue and silver metallic glass and masonry bands in gray granite. |
| |
|
One Liberty Place |
Skyline identity--Post-Modern eleganceRepetitive gables define the top, reminding one of the much earlier Art Deco Chrysler Building. This 60-story, mixed use building is also trimmed with neon along the gable edges, giving it a spectacular night-time identity. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Left: view through my hotel atrium; center: corner entranceBoth towers are set on podiums in granite. At ground level the base is divided into bays, some of which are gabled, reducing the monumentality and also relating to neighboring buildings and shops. |
| |
|
Two Liberty Place |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Central arcade with rotundaThe two towers are connected with an arcade containing retail stores and a food court. |
Click here to return to index of art historical sites.
Click here to see the home page of Bluffton University.
