Mellon Bank Center
Philadelphia, USA

HEIGHT: 241m/792 feet
FLOORS: 54 floors
COMPLETION: 1990
ARCHITECT: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

Philadelphia’s Mayor Goode, recognized that his city was losing the race with other cities in attracting prime tenants. The 491 foot height limitation set by the William Penn statue atop City Hall had stunted the city’s skyline. Philadelphia wanted a modern icon.

The site is located within a Corbusian grid of flat rectangular blocks built in the 1950’s. It is uniquely located on axis with the old City Hall and midway between two of the four squares that define Penn Center, the area of the site. The spatial linkages to these distant cardinal landmarks recognize the order of the city. The 53-story aluminium and glass tower is supported on a five-story stone podium that anchors the tower solidly to the city grid.

The tapered tower borrows its shape from the obelisk, a monument historically used to celebrate special moments in time. A classical composition of base, middle, and top reinforces the classic iconography of the building, which dominates the center of the city.

In the morning
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/503/8mellon1.jpg

Twilight
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/503/8mellon3.jpg

The pedestal
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/503/8mellon4.jpg

Closeup of the top
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/503/8mellon5.jpg

Looking up
http://www.richmangalleries.com/images/Mellon-Bank-Center.jpg

In the night skyline along with One Liberty Place and Philly's City Hall
http://www.gophila.com/photos/images/large/IMG0003.jpg

Like 1 Liberty Place, it's roof is also very stylish, and has a nice shape that is not too wide or narrow.

8/10

Pleasant-looking. I think it complements the Liberty twins well.

Looks good especially next to 1 Liberty Place.

8/10.

8/10 I like the middle but not the top or the bottom. Luckily there is a lot of middle!:D

Out of this world. I love it. I wish my city had this one. 9.0

10/10! clean and pleasent

My favorite postmodern tower, 10/10:)

I like it, very interesting. 8/10

A very eye-pleasing and graceful P-M structure and yet another that got to break the infamous Philadelphia (former) height cap!

8.

love it 9

tays

Great base,nice vertical lines,the cap seems a bit small scale, but I still like the building and give it a 10.

I've seen this building before, but never paid attention to it until now. I am surprised...it's really cool! I never noticed before that the "vertical" lines are at a bit of an angle. 9/10 :)

Has the height. Great base, interesting shaped pinnacle and although nice 'n shiny, not much happening in the (large) mid-section. Also pinnacle might have extended a little higher making it more visible.

7.5

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/503/8mellon3.jpg

that was so beautiful it deserved to be shown again . . . i love this one 8/10

This POMO classical-column style rarely appeals to me but this one works. Not only does it work, it kicks ass. 8.5/10 ;)

Exquisite. The second best thing in Philly (No. 1: Iron Chef Morimoto). I'm glad it's in Philly, too. The only other cities I could really see this fitting into well are NY and Chicago.

9

8.5/10. Dig the top!

I like the way the top looks as well as the color of the building.

10/10

jhouse, where on earth did you find these pictures of the mellon building? i've never seen them before -- they're amazing. and for the pristine digital quality, they've got to be at least seven years old, as the blue cross logo is missing off of its tower. weird. great find on the photos.

mellon bank center is the favorite building of a lot of local residents, including myself. 10/10 for me! :)

http://www.phillyskyline.com/pix/melln_4pc.jpg

http://www.phillyskyline.com/pix/melln020923.jpg

http://www.phillyskyline.com/pix/aianite_melln.jpg

I got them straight from KPF. These have actually been dramatically downsized from the origionals they sent me. Being an architecture student has its virtues, I guess.

9/10 - I like! Good, soaring height, helped by the vertical lines on the facade, and the indentations in the sides. And did I mention facade? This one really dances with the light, and there's a good contrast between glass and stone.
The base is nice and solid, with good detailing. And - I love it! The first building I think I've seen here with an actual cornice, and it's a graceful curve that doesn't kill the height!
Good job of night lighting, too.

My only quibbles - I'm not quite sure how well that lattice work pyramid on top fits with the rest of the structure, and **maybe** the tower could have used a setback or two or more indentations, because it almost seems a wee bit large for the base...

But still, this baby is definitely sleek and elegant!

I like it! It`s high and it looks very clean ;) A wonderful tower 9.5/10

a great looking building!...love the pedestal and the top especially...this tower is sleek as well, not bad for being under 800 feet....8.5/10.

The tapered corners make it look taller than it is, especially from this angle.

8/10

cool!!

this is hands-down my favourite building in philly... statley and elegant. and it excells in the details like night time lighting and street frontage... a modern classic in my opinion... 8/10!

Pretty neat, 7.

So clean and so fresh :) Like this allot! Weird that i never knew thi tower before. The top is great and what about the facade!
Looks very modern to me!
9.5/10

stunning...i love it....10/10

B E A U T I F U L ! ! !

9.5/10

6.5 sleek, but not to my taster

First i ate it... i could give it a 2 easily

But now i luv it 9/10

I just love it! - 9.5

One of the ultimate skyscrapers. Brilliant top. Very sleek and classic. 10/10

Looks like something I saw in Bangkok. :) Anyway its 7/10.

Vague building. An incomprehensible choice to add a goofy pyramid on top.

Awesome building. The best pictures I've ever seen of this building. Seeing it in person was better. This one is definitely my favorite skyscraper.:D

9/10 Philly has some great skyscrapers.

i particularly love the attention to detail at the top and the pyramid roof!

10, i like how u can see thru the top

10/10

Beautifut glass roof.

8/10

The base and the top looks nice. Fits the Liberty Place-towers very good, too. 8/10

9/10
I like the base alot, and the pyramid at the top looks very stylish.
:)

9.5

i love that building!

I like the base. I like the the main body of the building as well. Somehow, though, I feel that they don't connect--they don't belong together & don't form a harmonious whole.

Sorry, but I can give this place only a 7.

Actually, I don't like it
It looks gloomy and goofy
and its roof is weird

But for the height 5.5/10

10!!!!

AHH!!! AMAZING!

Beautiful tower
9.5/10

9/10

Such a shame to see a building of this quality be ruined by a 20000 year old wonder. All these buildings with pyramids are ruining the value of Egypt. I suggest sueing.

7.5

8/10

So elegant, nice building 9/10

8/10


the tower and top are great, but the base isn't really good.

6/10
The shape is simple, the facade looks okay.

On the right:
http://www.skyscrapersunset.com/skyscrapercity/phl/227555s.jpg

http://www.skyscrapersunset.com/skyscrapercity/phl/204169s.jpg

http://www.skyscrapersunset.com/skyscrapercity/phl/227565s.jpg

like I said... I like Philadelphia
8.5/10

9/10

I like how most of the tallest buildings in Philadelphia have a pyramid-like(triangular prism on Blue Cross) structure on top.

I like the colors and the top part 8,5/10

8.5 awesome building. :cheers:

it's cool how the facade flare out near the top, but the pyramidal roof should definitley be bigger. everything else about it is awesome.

8.5

I agree the best post-modern tower

It really completes Philadelphia's skyline, although taller would make this one of the best in the world, wow, imagine this one at 1100 feet, ahhh...how sleek it would be

I love thr throwback base, reminiscent of NYC style of the 30s, a 10 for nothing more than class and importance to Philadelphia

Nice Post Modern design. The pierced pyramidal cap is good, as well as the flaring of the shaft at the top. 8/10.

It's alright 8/10

8.5/10

this an extremly beautiful postmodern tower, i love almost everything about it. it fits in with 1 and 2 lib.

10/10

very nice 9/10

Just beautiful, I love skyscrapers in Philadelphia. 9/10

8.5

I love it, especially the base.

Great night lighting as well.

Very stylish. It compliments the Liberty towers well.

9/10

9/10

Weird top. 7.0

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/asiaglobe/philadelphia/DSCN1482.jpg

http://img58.exs.cx/img58/4750/DSCN1432.jpg

http://img58.exs.cx/img58/340/DSCN1440.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/asiaglobe/philadelphia/DSCN1441.jpg

A postmodern masterpiece. 10

Beautiful, 8/10

9. I like its shape

9/10 elegant tower

Great building for a great city. I give it a 9/10. :yes:

Great lighting, great appeal. 8/10

Absolutely great crown. One of the best. And the greenish lighting is so cool ^^
Very great podium as well.
For the rest, I do like the cladding of the tower, it is quite original. Not on par with the rest of the design, still. Otherwise I would give it a 9.5
9.

8.5/10

Great. 9.5.

Fantastic!!! 9.5/10.

8/10

The facade is very good,but I don't like the salience at the top of the building.

7/10

9/10

Great tower, i love those open corners. 8.5/10

8/10

9.5/10. I love the postmodern look to Mellon, and the crown as well. Philadelphia at its finest fo sho!

8/10

9/10 great surprize

8/10

I don't like the top. The rest is very good. 8/10

9.5/10

Second best in Philadelphia.9/10

Cool top, could have been more daring. 8

wow that a nice looking tower

8/10

10/10

8/10. Nice

7.5/10

10!

7.5/10

Look excellent at noght 7.5/10

10/10 Yipee!

i like it, its nice
9/10 :)

10/10 This is perfect from top to bottom , good job

8,5/10 Elegant tower. It reminds me The Tower in Dubai.

7.5/10

10/10 Outside of choice towers in NYC this is my favorite tower in the US. In person its even more fantastic. Its an cool ass crown. I love the way the top on the shaft pushes out at the top. The facade design is great the colors compliment the neighboring towers like Liberty Place 2 blocks away. The base could do a little bit of an upgrade to catch up to the level of the rest of the tower. But still its very near perfection.

10/10..

8/10

9.5/10

Beautiful building! Wow, I didn't know Philadelphia had gems like this one. It reminds me of the R.R. Donnelley building in Chicago. Very cool lighting scheme.

8/10

8/10

7.5/10

8.5/10.

great tower 9/10

8.5/10

the base is a bit off but overall an excellent design.

very cool! love the top..

8.5/10

Nice building :) 8/10

I love the clean look. 9/10

very nice ----> 9,5/10

There are a couple things I like, and a couple things I don't like.

I really like the pyramid thing on the roof and the night picture look really nice. But the building is a bit too boxy and I think the bottom could be better.

8.5/10

8.5/10

8/10

Quality tower not too ott. 9/10

10. Beautiful Building

9/10

10. amazing!

8.5/10 Very elegant and beautiful

neat lines. 8/10

I give it a 9, I love when it's lit up at night in the skyline, the top of the tower, for what ever is going in the city will be lit up different colors.

Not bad for the 4th largest Tower in the city :)

9 / 10

8/10

7.5 nice
but looks similar and common to various towers somewhere else...

this is really a great tower 9/10

8/10 i just wana eat it

Nice tower, it fits in well.
8/10

8/10

8/10

uugh.

4.5/10

I like it! 8/10

Looks great! A 9 out of 10.

10/10

:D

8/10 - nice pedestal.

great 9/10

7.5/10

7/10

4/10

10/10

6/10

5,5/10

8/10

look's nice :) 8

Philadelphia doesn't have many true talls but those it has are great looking. This building among them. I give this a 9.

clean and pleasent

6.5 its ok

6/10

7/10

Interesting top, just a pyramid...:D

9/10

8.5/10 :)

8/10

8.5/10

8/10

5/10

7.5

8/10

Not bad at all. The top really fits the building. 8/10

8/10.

5.5

8.5/10

It's stylish without being overbearing or trying too hard to be what it isn't. I like the design a lot.

8/10...wish i hate rated 10/10! looks like a classic skyscraper, very nice!

Bleee.... :P 4/10

9/10

9.5/10

Very beautiful top !

8.5/10

9. Very good building. Regards.

9.5/10

8/10

6/10

A refined Egyptian Revival crown on a solidly post modernist design. 8

9/10

7.0

8/10

8.5/10

7.5/10

7.5/10

You've rated Mellon Bank Center 7.36 on average. Go to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (http://gbuscraper.blogspot.com/2010/07/one-mellon-center-pittsburgh-73610.html) to read more.

On this blog, the score of a 'good' building and a 'bad' building from the Rate our Talls section will be revealed every day.

Nothing special. 5/10

8/10 love the crown.

10/10

8/10

8/10

8/10

any recent pics? Would make it easier to rate the tower. :)

7/10

8/10

6/10

9/10

8/10

7/10

4/10

5.5/10

Even with the new Comcast this remains my favorite in Philly seems to really go under the radar in recognition for what a understated classic this is

4/10

Thepyramid on top had to be larger. 8/10

7/10