| Gulf Tower | |
|---|---|
 Gulf Tower, from US Steel Tower | |
 | |
| Record height | |
| Tallest in Pennsylvania from 1932 to 1971[I] | |
| Preceded by | Philadelphia City Hall |
| Surpassed by | U.S. Steel Tower |
| General information | |
| Type | Offices |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Location | 707 Grant Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40°26′33″N 79°59′43″W / 40.44250°N 79.99528°W |
| Construction started | 1930 |
| Completed | 1932 |
| Cost | US$10.05 million ($183.3 million today) |
| Height | |
| Roof | 177.4 m (582 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 44 |
| Floor area | 409,320 sq ft (38,027 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 15 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Trowbridge & Livingston Edward Mellon |
| Developer | Andrew W. Mellon |
| Structural engineer | McClintic-Marshall Construction Company |
| Main contractor | Mellon-Stuart |
| Other information | |
| Public transit access |  Steel Plaza |
| Website | |
| rrpittsburgh | |
| Designated | 1973[1] |
| References | |
| [2][3][4] | |
The Gulf Tower is a 44-story, 177.4 m (582 ft) Art Deco skyscraper in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[5] The tower is one of the major distinctive and recognizable features of the city and is named for the Gulf Oil Corporation.
Built as the headquarters for the Gulf Oil Company, the structure was designed by the firm of Trowbridge & Livingston and completed in 1932 at a cost of $10.05 million ($183.3 million today). As late as 1981 Gulf Oil employed 3,100 within the building.[6] Now called Gulf Tower, it has 44 floors and rises 177.4 m (582 ft) above downtown Pittsburgh. The crown of the skyscraper is modeled after the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in the style of a step pyramid. The building was listed as a Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark in 1973.[7]
On June 13, 1974, a bomb was detonated on the 29th floor of the Gulf Tower.[8] The Weather Underground Organization took credit for the attack, claiming it was in protest to Gulf Oil's involvement in the oil rich regions affected by the Angolan War of Independence.
The building was condemned following a fire on May 19, 2021,[9] and reopened after repairs six months later. [10]
- ^ Historic Landmark Plaques 1968–2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ^ "Emporis building ID 121981". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Gulf Tower". SkyscraperPage.
- ^ Gulf Tower at Structurae
- ^ Conti, John (May 4, 2013). "Art Deco style survives in Pittsburgh—if you look around". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
- ^ "Loss of Gulf Would Be Costly in Pittsburgh". Beaver County Times. Associated Press. Retrieved March 25, 2016 – via Google News Archive Search.
- ^ "Historic Landmark Plaques: 1968–2009" (PDF). Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- ^ Craig Smith (March 27, 2010). "Ayers' talk kept quiet at Pitt". The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
- ^ Lovingood, Chris (June 7, 2021). "Gulf Tower in downtown Pittsburgh slapped with condemnation notice". WTAE. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ Belko, Mark (November 1, 2021). "Return of a landmark: Downtown's Gulf Tower reopens after May 19 fire". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
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