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| 2648 The Philadelphia skyline viewed from the Ben Franklin Bridge |
Philadelphia's history of tall buildings is generally thought to have begun with the 1754 addition of the steeple to Christ Church, which was one of America's first high-rise structures. Through most of the 20th century, a "gentlemen's agreement" prevented buildings from rising higher than the 167m Philadelphia City Hall. The completion of One Liberty Place in 1987 broke the agreement, and Philadelphia has since seen the construction of eight skyscrapers that eclipse City Hall in height.
Now, in 2016, the tallest building in the city is currently the 57-story Comcast Center, which rises 297m in Center City. It is also the tallest building in Pennsylvania and the 19th-tallest building in the United States. Designed by by architect Robert A. M. Stern for Liberty Property Trust, it was built between 2005 and 2008. Its structure comprises a central concrete core with steel framed floors. The building's exterior features a glass curtain wall made of lightly tinted, non-reflective low-emissivity glass.
The second-tallest building is One Liberty Place (1987 / 61 floors / 288m), and the third is Two Liberty Place (1990 / 58 floors / 258m), both part of the Liberty Place complex. One Liberty Place stood as the tallest building in Pennsylvania for over 20 years until the completion of Comcast Center. The entire complex was designed by architect Helmut Jahn and his firm Murphy/Jahn. The steel and blue glass skyscrapers were heavily influenced by New York City's Chrysler Building, mainly the spire made of gabled angular setbacks.
The forth-tallest building is BNY Mellon Center (1990 / 54 floors / 241m), designed by the architectural firm of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. It is part of a complex of office buildings known as Penn Center. The fifth is Three Logan Square, formerly the Bell Atlantic Tower (1991 / 55 floors / 225m), designed by the Philadelphia-based architecture firm Kling Lindquist. A banquet hall, known as Top of the Tower, occupies the top floor of the building and is available for public rentals.
About the stamps
The first and the third stamps are part of the series National Parks, about which I wrote here. The second stamp is part of the series Coastal Birds, about which I wrote here. The last stamp, depicting the Ruffed Grouse and the Mountain Laurel, which are Pennsylvania State Bird and Flower, is part of the series State Birds and Flowers, about which I wrote here.
References
List of tallest buildings in Philadelphia - Wikipedia
Sender: Denise
Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 20.06.2016
Photo: Anthony L. / 2015
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