Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, with a metropolitan area population of over 2.3 million as of 2025. With over 125 high-rise buildings with a height of at least , 34 of which exceed 300 ft (91 m), Pittsburgh's skyline is the second-largest in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia. The tallest building in Pittsburgh is the 64-story U.S. Steel Tower, which rises and was completed in 1970. It was built as the headquarters of U.S Steel, reflecting Pittsburgh's role in the steel industry, and is the fifth tallest building in Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia make up the vast majority of high-rises in Pennsylvania.

The majority of high-rises in Pittsburgh are located in the city's downtown, forming a compact, triangular-shaped skyline bound to the north by the Allegheny River, to the south by the Monongahela River, and to the east by Interstate 579. Pittsburgh's numerous bridges that traverse the two rivers are a common cityscape feature, and are often pictured alongside its skyscrapers. Mount Washington is a popular photography spot of the downtown skyline. Less than three miles east of downtown is Oakland, containing the city's second major concentration of high-rises, many of which are part of the University of Pittsburgh. By far the tallest building in Oakland is the 535 ft (161 m) tall Cathedral of Learning, a Gothic Revival skyscraper that is Pittsburgh's eighth-tallest building and one of the university's main buildings.

From the early 1930s to the 1970s, Pittsburgh had one of the tallest skylines in the world. The history of skyscrapers in Pittsburgh began with the 1895 completion of the Carnegie Building; this structure, rising 13 floors, was the first steel-framed skyscraper to be constructed in the city. It never held the title of tallest structure in Pittsburgh, however, as it did not surpass the tower of the Allegheny County Courthouse. Pittsburgh was the site of considerable pre-war skyscraper development in the United States, including early landmarks such as the Grant Building and the Gulf Tower. 14 high-rises over 300 ft (91 m) where built before 1940, making up about a third of all buildings above that height in the city. After a lull in construction from the mid-1930s to the late 1940s, skyscraper construction resumed in the 1950s. Pittsburgh experienced a large building boom from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s. During this time, 11 of the city's 20 tallest buildings were constructed, including the city's three tallest structures: the U.S. Steel Tower, BNY Mellon Center, and PPG Place, which is notable for its glass spires.

Unlike many other major American cities, relatively few high-rises have been built in Pittsburgh during the 21st century, as the population of the city and Greater Pittsburgh continued to decline from its peak in the mid-20th century. Only three skyscrapers over 300 ft (91 m) have been completed since 2000: Three PNC Plaza in 2009, Tower at PNC Plaza in 2015, and the FNB Financial Center in 2024. At 545 feet (166 m), Tower at PNC Plaza, distinguished by its slanted roof, is the tallest building completed in Pittsburgh in the 21st century, while the FNB Financial Center is the tallest building in the Hill District.

History

Cityscape

Map of tallest buildings The map below shows the location of buildings taller than 300 feet (91 m) in downtown Pittsburgh. Each marker is numbered by the building's height rank, and colored by the decade of its completion. There is only one building in Pittsburgh taller than 300 feet (91 m) that is located outside of the map, the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland.

Tallest buildings

This list ranks completed buildings in Pittsburgh that stand at least 300 ft (91 m) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The “Year” column indicates the year of completion. Buildings tied in height are sorted by year of completion with earlier buildings ranked first, and then alphabetically.

RankName ImageLocationHeightft (m)FloorsYearPurpose Notes 1 U.S. Steel Tower 64 1970Office77th-tallest building in the United States, 5th tallest in Pennsylvania. Has been the tallest building in the city since 1970, and was the tallest building in the state from 1970 until the 1987 completion of One Liberty Place in Philadelphia. Tallest building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 1970s and in the 20th century. Known as the USX Tower between 1986 and 2000. Corporate headquarters of U.S. Steel and UPMC. 2 BNY Mellon Center 54 1983OfficeTallest building completed in Pittsburgh in the 1980s. Formerly known as One Mellon Center during its period as corporate headquarters of Mellon Financial. Bank of New York Mellon currently has its largest concentration of employees in the facility. 3 One PPG Place 40 1984OfficeCorporate headquarters of PPG Industries and co-headquarters of Kraft Heinz. 4 Fifth Avenue Place 32 1987OfficeCorporate headquarters of Highmark. 5 One Oxford Centre 45 1983OfficeOriginally corporate headquarters of Oxford Development, now a multi-tenanted building. 6 Gulf Tower 44 1932Mixed-useTallest building completed in Pittsburgh in the 1930s. Tallest building in Pittsburgh from 1932 to 1970. The name references structure's status as former headquarters of Gulf Oil, although the site has functioned as a multi-tenant building since 1982. Now a mixed-use residential and hotel building. 7 Tower at PNC Plaza 33 2015OfficeTallest building completed in Pittsburgh in the 2010s and in the 21st century. Part of PNC Financial Services corporate headquarters. 8 Cathedral of Learning 42 1936EducationSecond-tallest university building in the world, behind the main building of Moscow State University. Tallest building in the city located outside of Downtown. Landmark structure of the University of Pittsburgh. 9 525 William Penn Place 41 1951OfficeTallest building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 1950s. Originally housed corporate headquarters of both U.S. Steel and Mellon Financial. Signage rights belong to largest tenant Citizens Financial Group. 10 K&L Gates Center 39 1968OfficeTallest building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 1960s. Originally known as One Oliver Plaza and formerly named for lead tenants FreeMarkets and later Ariba. Corporate headquarters of K&L Gates. 11 Grant Building 40 1930OfficeTallest building in Pittsburgh from 1930 to 1932. The building's signage rights belong to largest tenant Huntington Bancshares. 12 Koppers Tower 34 1929OfficeBriefly tallest building in Pittsburgh from 1929 to 1930. Tallest building completed in Pittsburgh in the 1920s. Corporate headquarters of Koppers. 13 Two PNC Plaza 34 1975OfficePart of PNC Financial Services corporate headquarters. 14 EQT Plaza 32 1987OfficeCorporate headquarters of EQT Corporation. Formerly named for CNG and Dominion Energy before these entities were acquired via merger. 15 One PNC Plaza 30 1972OfficePart of PNC Financial Services corporate headquarters.16FNB Financial Center262024OfficeTallest building completed in Pittsburgh in the 2020s. Corporate headquarters of FNB Corporation. 17 Regional Enterprise Tower 30 1953Mixed-useFirst skyscraper with an all-aluminum facade. Formerly the corporate headquarters of Alcoa before its relocation to a low-rise structure. Then known as the Regional Enterprises Tower during a period of multi-tenant occupancy. Now also known as The Residences at the Alcoa Building. Converted to the city's tallest residential structure in 2016. 18 Federated Hermes Tower 27 1986OfficeCorporate headquarters of Federated Investors. 19 11 Stanwix Street 23 1970OfficeFormer corporate headquarters of Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and was then known as Westinghouse Tower. Signage rights owned by largest tenant KeyBank. 20 Oliver Building 25 1910Mixed-useTallest existing building completed in Pittsburgh in the 1910s Tallest building in Pittsburgh from 1910 to 1912. In 2015, one-third of the structure's floor space was converted from office to hotel use. 21 Three PNC Plaza 23 2009Mixed-useTallest building completed in Pittsburgh in the 2000s. Part of PNC Financial Services corporate headquarters. Signage rights owned by largest tenant Reed Smith. Mixed-use office, hotel, and residential building. 22 Three Gateway Center 24 1952 Office 23 Centre City Tower 26 1971OfficeSignage rights owned by largest tenant Huntington Bancshares. 24 William S. Moorhead Federal Building 23 1964GovernmentTallest government building in Pittsburgh. 25 Bell Telephone Building 21 1931OfficeAlso known as the Verizon Building.26AT&T Building–161969OfficeAlso used for telecommunications.27Frick Building201902OfficeTallest existing building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 1900s.28Midtown Towers181907ResidentialAlso known as the Keenan Building.29Omni William Penn Hotel261916Hotel30Four Gateway Center221960Office 31 Clark Building 26 1928Residential 32 Commonwealth Building 21 1906ResidentialOriginally an office building. Conversion to apartment building began October 2019. 33 The Carlyle 22 1906ResidentialConverted to condominiums in 2006. While serving as an office building, was named for Union National Bank and, later, its successor Integra Bank.34City View241964ResidentialApartment structure. Formerly known as Washington Plaza. As of 2026, there are no buildings under construction that will be taller than 300 ft (91 m) in Pittsburgh, nor are there any proposed.

Tallest demolished Two buildings that stood at least have been demolished in Pittsburgh. NameImageHeightft (m)FloorsYearcompletedYeardestroyedNotes First National Bank Building 26 1912 1970Tallest building in Pittsburgh from 1912 to 1929. Demolished to make room for One PNC Plaza. Farmers Bank Building 25 1902 1997Tallest building in Pittsburgh from 1902 to 1910. Demolished for the construction of a Lazarus department store due to a lack of tenants.

Timeline of tallest buildings Name Image Street address Years as tallest Height Floors Reference Trinity Episcopal Cathedral 328 Sixth Avenue 1872–1888 N/A Allegheny County Courthouse 436 Grant Street 1888–1902 5 Farmers Bank Building 301 Fifth Avenue 1902–1910 25Now demolished. Oliver Building 535 Smithfield Street 1910–1912 25 First National Bank Building 511 Wood Street at Fifth Avenue 1912–1929 26Now demolished. Koppers Tower 436 7th Avenue 1929–1930 34 Grant Building 330 Grant Street 1930–1932 40 Gulf Building 707 Grant Street 1932–1970 44 U.S. Steel Tower 600 Grant Street 1970–present 64

See also Architecture of Pittsburgh List of tallest buildings in Camden List of tallest buildings in Harrisburg List of tallest buildings in Philadelphia List of tallest buildings in Reading, Pennsylvania

References Specific

General

Further reading "Pittsburgh Then & Now"—Six-page Pittsburgh Post-Gazette feature on some of the city's iconic skyscrapers] "Who owns the skyline?"—News feature "A Mix of Old, New Buildings Gives City a Profile All Its Own"—1982 news feature on city's skyscraper boom "Tale of Two Towers: Similarities Only Skin Deep in 2 New Skyscrapers"—News feature

External links Diagram of Pittsburgh skyscrapers on SkyscraperPage