Key Tower

The Key Tower is a Postmodernist skyscraper designed in 1988 by César Pelli & Associates, in association with Kendall / Heaton Associates, and built between 1989 and 1991, for a reported $400 million dollars, in Cleveland, OH.

Key Tower 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 Key Tower is also known, or has been known as, Society Tower, or 127 Public Square.

Its precise street address is 127 Public Square, Cleveland, OH. You can also find it on the map here.

In 2010 the Key Tower was awarded with the Office Building of the Year award by Greater Cleveland chapter of the Building Owners and Managers Association.

The building underwent a major restoration between 2017 and 2018. The architect commissioned to undertake this restoration was K2M.

César Pelli & Associates was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design, in association with Kendall / Heaton Associates.

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 here is a list of the people we do know also played their part in making the Key Tower a reality:

• Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire in charge of Structural Engineering
• Turner Construction Company as the Main Contractor
• Otis Elevator Company as the company in charge of the elevators system
• Richard E. Jacobs Group as the Main Developer
• James Rosenquist, and David Salle as the collaborating Artist

The Key Tower can be categorized as a Postmodernist building.

The Key Tower was completed in 1991. By 1991 the Postmodernism movement was experiencing a transition. Critics argued that Postmodernism, initially a rebellious and innovative style, had become formulaic and commercialized, and so the trend started moving away from blending historical styles, irony, and playful ornamentation, and begun to give way to emerging architectural trends concerned with more present matters such as technology, ecology or sustainability.

The Key Tower uses a frame structure made of reinforced concrete columns and concrete and steel slabs.

A frame structure uses a combination of beams and columns to sustain the building's weight. The walls in this case are non-load bearing, which allows for more flexibility when distributing the interior spaces.

The facade uses a non-load bearing modular, or panelized system. This type of facade can function as either a window wall or a curtain wall, depending on the design. Unlike traditional glass curtain walls or window walls though, the modular facade is not primarily composed of glass. Instead, it often features more opaque panels that mimic masonry or stone-clad finishes, with smaller windows cut into the panels.

This type of facade allows the building to benefit from the modern qualities of a curtain wall while giving the design team flexibility to achieve visual aesthetics beyond the all-glass modern skyscraper.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features light colored granite panels with windows that are divided in two by lighter colored mullions, emphasizing the verticality of the building. The base is clad in reddish natural stone.

As the building rises, it features several setbacks, all the way to the crown, where a stepped pyramid topped with a metal spire, inspired by the form of an Egyptian obelisk, finishes the structure.