Key Tower
Cleveland, USA

HEIGHT: 289m/947 feet
FLOORS: 57 floors
COMPLETION: 1991
ARCHITECT: Cesar Pelli

Key Tower is the tallest building in Cleveland, as well as the tallest in Ohio and one of the tallest buildings in the United States. The tower is visible up to twenty miles away. The tower, developed by the R.E. Jacobs Group, was originally built as the Society Center, and was renamed when KeyCorp acquired Society Bank. The tower faces two significant public spaces, Public Square and Mall A. Key Tower features art deco-like setbacks leading to a stainless steel pyramidal crown. Key Tower is connected to the Burnham and Root-designed Society for Savings building.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/skyscraperrot/key01.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/skyscraperrot/key02.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/skyscraperrot/key03.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/skyscraperrot/key04.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/skyscraperrot/keynight.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/skyscraperrot/keybase.jpg

This one is a really nice. It reminds me a bit of the BoA in Atlanta which is my favorite US skyscraper. I voted 8.5/10 :)

I like it. A little boxy but I give it a nice 7/10

8/10.

I give this building a 7.5/10. It and the Terminal Tower are landmarks Cleveland should be proud of.

Look guys, I don't care what order these threads appear in, all I care about is the World's Top 100 being represented here, with the hope of expanding that to the Top 250 over time. Put them up all at once, 3 a week, in any order you want, I don't care...Once they are up, we will close this forum to new threads, and it will be savored as a showcase for the buildings...

I couldn't help but comment on that night photo. It really adds life to that scraper.

Hmmm, first time I have seen this building. 8/10 and recorded :)

CityGod, this was a "rogue" thread that was made back at WSF, that wasn't put in the Rate Our Talls section, so it was still around in the archive, since the ROT section was deleted. This thread was made back when we at #20... it's just a weird coincidence that this happens to be the next thread in order.

Jasonhouse, I think I finally get what you are saying. I'll have to figure out a way to do this so everything works nicely, meaning so that the old ratings don't go to waste, but still make the new ones. I'm going to think about this and try and come up with a solution.

Create the threads, give me the votes. I can edit to the polls. I thought that I said that before? You said you have the votes recorded anyways, right? So even now, all we will have to do is recreate the origional thread, and I will insert the votes we already have... Some people may vote twice, but it is better than nothing.

Did you say you could edit the polls before? Oh, I didn't realize that! Okay I'll get started. Do you want me to email you the files? They're all in excel.

Hmmm, I don't have Excel installed, but I guess I could install it (I have it, just never bothered)

bball002@tampabay.rr.com

One of my top 5 in US ! 9.5/10

But I thought it was "only" 270m ?
Anyway , great building :okay:

Looks impressive. 8/10

Elegant and imposing at the same time, it also reminds me of the BofA in Atlanta though I think I like this one better...8.5/10.

This is an awesome building! Definitely one of my favourites in the World! I love it!!!

PERFECT 10

I like it! 8/10

9.2/10

Absolutely one of my favorites! And so close to home, and just to show I'm not completely biased I gave it 9.5/10!! I LOVE THIS BUILDING and I got to see it this past weekend up close! =)

my buddy in Cleveland has been talking about this high rise...Looks real great ang massive, eh? 9/10:D

8.5/10

A very good sense of height. Textured exterior adds to stateliness of the building.

G

i like it ! very nice

9/10. I love this building. Looks even better in person, especially from the Terminal Tower observatory.

Wow very grand
9/10

great :) I like this one althought it is the first time I see this scraper ;)
8.5

I love this tower!

9.5/10

one of my top 10 American towers . . 9/10

Impressive! 8.5/10 :)

A bit boxy, but very nice and slim, as well as it's roof.

7/10

I have always liked this one. It looks like it means business and manages to look new while complementing the older buildings.
8.5

I've always loved this gem in Cleveland! 8.5. It has so much class.

i like it... but i dont think it deserves more than 8..

A powerful structure, The king of Ohio's scrapers. 10 from me.

The top picture makes this building look like it was made from legos.

8.5/10

8/10 - This baby really leaps skyward - the contrasting sections of the facade and the setbacks are really well integrated into the design, and the strongly vertical stone sections really add to the height as they race uo the tower.
The main problem for me is the crown, which doesn't seem to fit the rest of the tower, somehow, as if it was added as an afterthought. And maybe the stone section of the facade could use a bit more detailing.

10/10

It's one of my favorite skyscrapers!

First time I've seen this. Kind of a bastard child of The Empire State Building and CanaryWharf Tower.

A pleasant surprise.

8

8.5/10

Nice facade and color, great setbacks, and a perfect crown.

I really like that one. 9.

Yeah this is what i call a SKYSCRAPER!
The curves are cool and the lightning and top too!
8.5/10

Beauty, take that in downtown Detroit anyday. 9/10

Very nice, good height, but a bit too boxy. I prefer the smooth curves of Pelli's BofA Charlotte or 777 Tower to the boxiness of this one. I, too, see the comparison to the BofA Atlanta and I also prefer Atlanta's over this building. I'd give it a 7.5.

not bad. 7/10

nice tower, but it doesnt look as tall as it should...8/10

It's huge!

Looks Atlanta-ish. 9/10

10/10 Cleveland really hit the jackpot with this tower. This is everything a skyscraper should be. It's magnificent and breathtaking. It really dominates Cleveland's diminutive skyline.

Should be black or some other colour than this conservative brown....what a pity.

Not bad at all.. But Cesar Pelli is much better than this though :) I like how the top is lighted at night! :D

7.5/10

the setbacks work well 7/10

7.5/10 I only like it at night.

8.5

Cliche

10! one of my favorites in the midwest. i think this one and 2 prudential in chicago are so underrated

Looks great, 8.5/10

8.5/10

They did a good job for a post-modern skyscraper. This looks great with the Terminal Tower. Plus, it is very impressive at night.
http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/cleveland/keytower5.jpg

A handsome edifice indeed. 8.

5.0/10 :)

8/10



Nice tower.

Looks great and tall
9/10

9/10

8.5/10
Good looking tall tower, beautiful crown & design. An ideal skyscraper.
Looks very beautiful at night time.

8/10

Typical boxes of crystal of the 90s 7,5/10 Though this one is good enough

This is one you have to see in person. It is truly an impressive skyscraper that overshadows every other building in the city. It blends in extremely well with the old and new architecture in town yet does not beg for attention.

Yeah this one nice eye catcher!. 9/10

7/10

It certainly looks like a king. Massive and tall. I'm glad they built it in Cleveland and not Minneapolis. Wells Fargo looks cooler. :cool:

I don't like the top. 6/10

this building's not too boxy, not too wacky, not too bulky, not too slender, and it got its roof covered too! (unlike boa atlanta...) suits me just right!

9.5/10

Pelli sure knows how to make them beautiful.....this one and the BoA in charlotte are my favs

I really like this design. I only wish it would have been built in Minneapolis when it was originally proposed for WFC (Norwest Bank). The Mpls version was less boxy looking and actually was completely cylindrical at the top and square at the bottom. The transition was completed through the setbacks at the corners. It also transitioned between mostly stone at its base to mostly glass at its top. At 1000' it would have been Mpls' crowning jewel. Oh well.... I love this building I give it a 10/10

great setbacks, very steep rise, sharp egers this is what defines scrapers
9/10

7.5/10

8/10

I like the mix of glass and stone, more glass than most art deco type towers, but it makes it unusual, without seeking too much attention. The geometric precision of the top and setbacks are really nice. The colors okay, and it feels massive (although not fat or squat) which I like in a tour. It is a little too plain for me, and a little overpowering for the skyline and for some reason I cant seem to give this a higher rating, cant figure out why. All in all a superb tower

6.5...

It's like looking at the Bank of America Tower in Charlotte, but on low graphics.

Wow, who knew they could put Rohypnol in architecture form? It's so boooring... yawn... zzz... zzz... zzz

Lol

no special feature on this one, but nice! 7

10...perfect design and height.

^ What he said. Very awsome and is perfect for cleveland. 10/10

Beauty, I like.

I'd prefer a square floor plan without those projecting wings that make it look bulky, but I love the carved multifaceted metallic crown. 8/10.

9/10

8.5/10

9/10 very nice

I love it, sorta reminds me of a mini ESB. 9.

A great building with nice setbacks and a good pinnacle. 8/10

Not good. It looks cheap. These post modern buildings do us no favors. It makes a mockery of the GREAT Terminal Tower. We should be building something more inventive than this!

9.5

Almost perfect! Love everything about this scraper but wish the crown wasn't staggered. Awesome at night. First thing u see when driving up towards Cleveland and it's impressive even from a distance.

7.5/10. I would trade the BofA in Atlanta for the Key Tower. At least the crown would be finished.

Good! I voted 8/10

I like this one. 8/10

My only criticism is that it's not daring enough. A little too symmetrical and dry. 8/10 (I may get a little flak about that comment)

8/10

7.5/10. I would trade the BofA in Atlanta for the Key Tower. At least the crown would be finished.

haha, i'd rather have both :) but if Key Tower was like 1,050 feet or so, yeah, go ahead and trade it

8.5/10

8/10

Nice building, though it would have fit in better in some other city. I give it an 8/10.

One of Pelli's most unknown and best works 10/10

Cool, I especially like the roof at night. 8.5/10

Rather classical-looking. The crown is just nice by night, but so-so by day, especially with the stupid-looking stick at the top.
Maybe a bit over average thanks to the good height and night lighting.
6.

Best building in Cleveland! 9/10.

9/10

the new:updated empire state building

9.5/10
A classical building of the post-modern art :okay:

8.0

8/10

you guys need to repost the pictures or something, basically everything says "bandwidth exceeded" for photobucket

9/10 Cesar Pelli, nuff said!

reminds me of empire state building, 9/10

7/10

One of my favourite skyscrapers :okay: 9/10

7.5/10

slightly bxy 7.

10/10

Quite a nice scraper this one. 8/10.

8/10

nice 8

Nice building...8/10

8/10

Beautiful 9/10

retro style of Pelli, :eek:
8.5/10

7.5/10.

impressive 9.5

Very Nice 8.0

9/10. Magnificent. Good setbacks, nice facade, towering height and it's symmetrical, making it a perfect iconic focal point for a city - Cleveland is very lucky.

8.5

nice plain tower. 9/10

A bit boxy but overall quite nice, 8.5/10

6/10

Not special this tower look like to Liberty Place tower

8.5/10

Here are some new pics of the Key Tower :)

http://urbanohio.com/NEOhio/Cleveland/Skyscrapers/KT18.JPG
http://urbanohio.com/NEOhio/Cleveland/Neighborhoods/Downtown/DT38.jpg
http://urbanohio.com/NEOhio/Cleveland/Neighborhoods/Downtown/DT34.jpg
http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/towererieview/towererieview1.jpg

How it fits in the skyline

http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/cleveland/cleskylake3.jpg

7,5/10

8.5/10

looks good to me 9/10

8/10.

Impressive...8.5/10

8/10

8/10

Its very classy and tall 8.0

9/10

6.5/10

a modern empire state very nice 9/10

^^exactly i couldnt put my finger on it but that pretty much sums it up.

I give it a nice 8/10

its ok.
8/10

:)

8/10, very nice

It's nice seing buildings with the pyramid shaped roof. 9/10

8.5/10

10/10 a near perfect classic. Sharp lines. Great crown. Great setbacks. What a great tower.

great landmark 8.5/10

7/10 mediocre..

8/10.

9/10

8/10

4/10

7/10.......................

I really like this building... The scraper just omits that it's truly American in design.

Pretty nice building 7/10

8.5/10.

8/10. One of the best PoMo buildings I have seen. Would like to see it in real life.

I like this tower

great tower love the roof 8.5/10

A great tower. 9.5/10

i love this tower: 9.5/10

9.5/10 one of my fav.

One of the most impressive buildings I have seen IRL with my own eyes.. 9.5/10

8.5/10

8.5/10

7/10

Looks impressive. 9/10

wow wonderful 9.5/10

7/10

9/10

8/10

10. great!

8.5/10

7,5/10

8/10

Nice :)

interesting 9/10

6/10 There are many better and older than this one.

8.5 / 10

Pretty clean and elegant.

the top could've been more defined but overall it's a beautiful building
8.5/10

8/10

9/10

10/10

10/10

It sorta looks like a "poor-man's" ESB. 7.5/10

8.5 /10

8.5/10. the top bit illuminated at night looks great.

pelli loves the pyramid......this building is safe and reserved....the pyramid isn't as boring as most. not a bad tower imo. the one thing i do dislike is the lighting scheme at night.....just the pyramid looks to be lit up in white/bluish light.....more of the building should be lit up in warmer colors. 8.5

It looks very impressive in person (especially in the distance). The top looks nice at night, but looks kind of like "Lego" during the day. A great building in a nice city... 8 :)

9 / 10

it's a good-looking glass tower.

8.5 / 10

8.5 / 10

9/10. Great building.

8/10

8.5/10.

9/10. A little plain at day but at night the lights make it a lot better.

Beautifull tower, een 9,5/10

8/10 Classic look

7/10 it fits well with the rest of the city

8 - kinda bland but looks nice as part of a skyline, and at night.

I am a Union Roofer in the Cleveland area. I am currently working on two sepparate roofs on the southern corners of the 57th floor of Key Tower.

These pictures are impressive, but no offense, it is way better being 900+ feet up, in the open air looking at the city. I have a lot of pictures from up there, and as soon as I can I will post them here.

8.5 :D

7.5/10

6+

This building is amazing.....9.5/10

another pelli 10/10

8.5/10

Pretty at night :)

8/10

Is there any new towers planned for Cleveland, I heard they were knocking one down, any going in its place?

Nice tower. 7.5/10

8,5/10

8/10

8/10

9.5/10

Very cool in real life. 10/10

7,5/10

7/10.

LOVE IT. 10/10. It's right up there with Bank of America Building in Charlotte :)

superb building 9/10 IMO

Interesting building!

8.5/10

plain,imo.

big but simple.
7

8/10

beautifull 9/10

gorgeous.

9 / 10

7/10

7.5 :cheers:

8.5/10

9/10 Looks cool!!!!!!^^
:banana:

6.5/10 out of proportion

6.5/10 out of proportion

with what?

This tower is awesome 9/10

beautiful tower. it truly defines cleveland...


10/10:okay:

8/10

9.5/10

8/10

Massive! 8.5/10

i like, 9/10

7.5/10

8,5 great building :D

8/10

8.5/10:)

Love its top part, 7/10.

6/10
It`s ordinary...

9,5

The second pic is nice. 8.5/10

8,5/10 very good building, elegant lines.

8.5/10