Buildings and architecture of Allentown, Pennsylvania


The buildings and architecture of Allentown reflect the city's history and settlement from the 18th century through the present. Allentown is characterized by its abundant historic homes, churches, commercial structures and century-old industrial buildings.

18th and 19th centuries

Allentown was founded in 1762. In the late 18th century, architecture made of brick and stone was not uncommon. Trout Hall, built in 1770 by James Allen, son of city founder William Allen, is the oldest standing house in Allentown. Located at South 4th Street and Walnut Street, the home was later known as the Livingston Mansion and in 1848 became the Allentown Seminary. In 1867 it housed the original premises of Muhlenberg College. Restored in 1905, Trout Hall is currently administered by the Lehigh County Historical Society. Allentown Symphony Hall, at 23 North Sixth Street in Center City, was constructed in 1896.
Zion's Reformed United Church of Christ, founded in 1762, is located at 620 W. Hamilton Street. The church's original structure was a log cabin Union Church it shared with the congregation of St. Paul's Lutheran. Zion's current building, a neo-gothic structure built in the 1880s, hosts a sanctuary representing a high point in 19th-century church architecture, with stained glass art windows on all four walls interweaving biblical symbols with a floral motif, symbolizing the flowering of the new out of the old.
Zion's also hosts the Liberty Bell Museum, due the special role the church played in protecting the Liberty Bell from capture by British forces in 1777. The Liberty Bell was hidden in Zion's basement, where the foundations of the 18th-century church can be seen to this day.
There are three historic districts in Allentown, Old Allentown, the Old Fairgrounds and West Park neighborhoods. Old Allentown and Old Fairgrounds are Center City neighborhoods that hold a joint house tour organized by Old Allentown Preservation Association once a year in September. The West Park neighborhood also offers a tour of this district's larger Victorian and Craftsman-style homes.

20th century

In the 20th century, rowhomes, many built in the Victorian or Federal style, became popular in Allentown as in other industrial cities. The West End neighborhood, running roughly from 15th Street to Cedar Crest Boulevard, is famous for both its brick twin styles closer to the city center and large homes, including the Hess Mansion, further west.
The PPL Building, constructed between 1926 and 1928, is Allentown's tallest building at 322 feet. It is 23 stories high and is located at the northwest corner of 9th and Hamilton Street. A Lehigh Valley icon, this Art Deco tower can be seen from places throughout the Lehigh Valley; in clear weather, the tower can be seen as far north as Blue Mountain. The building was designed by architect and skyscraper pioneer Harvey Wiley Corbett and was supervised by his assistant, Wallace Harrison. The building exterior features bas reliefs by Alexander Archipenko. In 1930, the PPL Building was named the "best example of a modern office building" by Encyclopædia Britannica, and also featured the world's fastest elevator.

21st century

As of the early 21st century, much of Allentown's office and retail space is vacant. In December 2011, J.B. Reilly, Alvin H. Butz and other developers announced a series of new plans designed to bring service-based companies and white-collar workers back to the city while taking advantage of a special tax zone created for the construction of the new PPL Center at 7th and Hamilton Streets.
In recent years some historic industrial buildings have been converted to loft-style rental apartments. These include the Farr Lofts in Center City, the P&P Mill Building in the 1st Ward and Auburn Station near the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Center.

Tallest buildings in the Lehigh Valley

The tallest buildings and structures in the Lehigh Valley are:
RankBuilding NameHeight
feet/meters		FloorsYear
1PPL Building01.0322 / 98231928
2Episcopal House207191968
3Five City Center200132019
4Moravian House I188151974
5Packer Memorial Church01.0183 / 561885
6Tower 6180122018
7 Sands Casino Resort Hotel175142011
7 The Fred B. Rooney Building175141979
9 First United Church of Christ01.0173 / 531776
9 Regency Towers173141973
11Two City Center165112014
12 Towne House Apartments161131976
12 Towers East161131967
14Americus Center150131927
15Bethlehem Steel Building140131916
16 Lutheran Manor Apartments138111977
16 One Bethlehem Plaza138111974
16 Monocacy Tower138111973
19 B'nai B'rith West Apartments136111979
19 Little Lehigh Manor136111979
21Walter House134111963
22Allentown Center Square130111911
23 Tower 65125101967
23 Moravian House 2125101979
25 Lehigh County Prison124101992
25 Hamilton Financial Center124101983
27Renaissance Allentown Hotel123102015
28The Eastonian01.0121 / 37101926
29Alpha Building115101901
30Tower Apartments112.7391966
31Soldiers and Sailors Monument of Allentown01.0112 / 341899
32Lehigh County Courthouse11191965
33Hotel Bethlehem104111922
34 The Andrew W. Litzenberger House10081967
34 Lehigh Valley Hospital - Muhlenberg10082005
34 No. 2 Machine Shop10081890
34 Iacocca Hall10081961
38Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street01.079 / 2461952
39Allentown Masonic Temple01.077 / 2461925
40Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument of Easton01.075 / 231900