PNC Center

  • skyscraper
  • international-style
  • MI
  • Troy
Pnc Center
  1. About the PNC Center in Troy
  2. Architect and team
  3. Architectural style
  4. Spaces and uses
  5. Structure and materials

The PNC Center is an International Style skyscraper designed by Rossetti Associates, and built between 1974 and 1975 in Troy, MI.

PNC Center is not the only name you might know this building by though. It is common for companies to want to attach their names to iconic buildings when they move in, or for the general public to come up with nicknames, and this one is no exception. The PNC Center is also known, or has been known as, National City Center, or Top of Troy.

Its precise street address is 755 West Big Beaver Road, Troy, MI. You can also find it on the map here.

The complex consists of a 25-story triangular office tower and a two-story atrium containing offices, retail, and a conference center. Even to this day it is still the tallest building in Troy.

Building's timeline

Construction begins
1974
50
Construction completed
1975
49
years ago
2024

Architect and team

Rossetti Associates was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design.

That being said, architecture is a complex discipline involving many professionals from different fields, without whom this building would have not been possible. We will surely be leaving out a lot of names here, but at the very least we know that there was one other part involved, that was Kojaian as the Main Developer.

Architectural Style

The PNC Center can be categorized as an International Style building.

The international style originated in Europe in the early 20th century, and made its way to the US a couple of decades later when the rise of the Nazi regime forced figures such as Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, or Mies van der Rohe to flee Europe.

The International Style emerged as a response to the prevailing historicism and ornate architecture styles of the late 19th century, which according to a younger generation of architects didn't represent the new materials and construction techniques that were on the rise at the time.

Architecture in the early 20th century US was marked by the adoption of steel structures, modern construction techniques, and the rise of the skyscraper. As it turns out, this combination of circumstances created the perfect ecosystem for the International Style to flourish, becoming the to-go style for skyscraper designs during the mid-20th century, when American cities were growing fast.

The International Style’s legacy can not only be found in numerous iconic buildings across all major American cities, but also incorporated in contemporary architecture, which still puts a big emphasis on functionality and minimalism.

Spaces & Uses

The PNC Center reaches an architectural height of 364ft (111m), 384ft (117m) if you count the antenna, with the last accesible floor being 344ft (105m) off the gorund. It has a total of 25 floors, served by 12 elevators, which combined offer a total of 666,996 sqf (61,966m2) of usable space.

Ever since opening its doors to the public in 1975, the PNC Center has mainly been used as Commercial space.

384ft (117m)
364ft (111m)
344ft (105m)

Materials & Structure

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a continuous, blue-tinted glass, curtain wall on its longer facade facing the highway (the hypotenuse of the triangle) and two others mixing glass with grey spandrels and vertical strips between windows.

The main entrance, protected by a triangular canopy supported by three blue columns, is located in a landscaped plaza.

Other materials found at the PNC Center include, cherry wood, found on large panels that cover some walls of the two-story lobby, and polished granite, used on the floors of the lobby and on the baseboards of the hallways.