Key Tower
Skyscraper in Cleveland, Ohio
title: "Key Tower" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["césar-pelli-buildings", "skyscraper-office-buildings-in-cleveland", "1991-establishments-in-ohio", "office-buildings-completed-in-1991", "corporate-headquarters-in-the-united-states", "downtown-cleveland"] description: "Skyscraper in Cleveland, Ohio" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Tower" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Skyscraper in Cleveland, Ohio ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox building"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Key Tower |
| logo | Key Tower logo.png |
| logo_size | 205 |
| image | File:Key Tower 2022.png |
| image_size | 250 |
| caption | Key Tower in 2022 |
| highest_prev | Terminal Tower |
| highest_start | 1991 |
| highest_region | Ohio |
| location | 127 Public Square |
| Cleveland, Ohio | |
| coordinates | |
| status | Complete |
| start_date | October 17, 1988 |
| completion_date | 1991 |
| opening | January 1992 |
| building_type | Office |
| architectural | 947 ft |
| roof | 888 ft |
| floor_count | 57 |
| floor_area | 1,249,981 sqft |
| architect | Cesar Pelli |
| structural_engineer | Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire |
| developer | Richard E. Jacobs Group |
| owner | The Millennia Companies |
| references | |
| website | |
| :: |
|name = Key Tower |logo = Key Tower logo.png |logo_size = 205 |image = File:Key Tower 2022.png |image_size = 250 |caption = Key Tower in 2022 |highest_prev = Terminal Tower |highest_start = 1991 |highest_region = Ohio |location = 127 Public Square Cleveland, Ohio |coordinates = |status = Complete |start_date = October 17, 1988 |completion_date = 1991 |opening = January 1992 |building_type = Office |architectural = 947 ft |roof = 888 ft |floor_count = 57 |floor_area = 1,249,981 sqft |elevator_count = |cost = |architect = Cesar Pelli |structural_engineer= Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire |main_contractor = |developer = Richard E. Jacobs Group |owner = The Millennia Companies |references = |website =
Key Tower (formerly known as Society Center) is a 57 story skyscraper on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Designed by architect César Pelli and completed in 1991, the 947 ft building is the tallest in the state of Ohio, the 42nd-tallest in the United States, and the 165th-tallest in the world. Visible from up to 20 mi away, the tower contains about 1.5 million square feet (139,355 m²) of office space.
Key Tower's anchor tenant is KeyCorp, a major regional financial services firm. In 2014 the law firm of BakerHostetler announced that it would move its headquarters to the building, taking up several floors being vacated by KeyCorp. The international law firm Squire Patton Boggs is headquartered here and a major tenant. It is also headquarters to Dan T. Moore Companies, located on the 27th floor. Key Tower is connected to the Marriott at Key Center, built in conjunction with the tower, and the older Society for Savings Building. It was the tallest building between New York City and Chicago until 2007, and is the tallest building in the Midwest United States outside of Chicago.
In October 2008, Wells Real Estate Funds purchased Key Center, including Key Tower, Marriott at Key Center, Society for Savings Building, and the underground Memorial Plaza Garage. Key Tower was subsequently acquired by The Millennia Companies in 2017 for $267.5 million.
History
It was originally built as the Society Center and was the headquarters for Cleveland-based Society Corporation bank. Society had recently acquired AmeriTrust and canceled AmeriTrust's plans for an even taller (61-story) building on Public Square. Its opening ended the Terminal Tower's 60-year reign as the tallest building in Ohio.
It was renamed Key Tower after Society merged with KeyCorp and took the KeyCorp name. Indeed, it was decided to make Cleveland the headquarters for the new KeyCorp because it was felt the then-Society Center was more commensurate with the merged bank's status as a major bank. Pelli originally intended its design for the Norwest Center in Minneapolis, but a late change to the site led to Pelli designing a new tower for it.
Key Tower was developed by the Richard E. Jacobs Group.
When Society Center was completed in 1991 by Turner Construction, it became the tallest building between Chicago and New York City. The 975 ft Comcast Center in Philadelphia assumed this distinction in 2007. The Chamber of Commerce Building stood on the tower's site from 1898 to 1955.
F-111, James Rosenquist's large pop art painting, hung in the tower's lobby until building owner Richard Jacobs sold it to the Museum of Modern Art in 1996. He replaced it in 1998 with Songs for Sale, a mural by artist David Salle. In October 2005, Key Bank installed four 15 ft long illuminated logos at the base of the tower's crowning pyramid. Each sign weighs 1500 lb.
A smaller-scale building was proposed by Pelli to be built in Hartford, Connecticut, during the late 1980s, but the plan was ultimately canceled.
References
References
- "Key Tower - The Skyscraper Center". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
- Jarboe, Michelle. (2017-01-31). "Key Tower returns to local ownership, with $267.5 million sale to Millennia Companies". [[The Plain Dealer]].
- "The World's Tallest Buildings | Statistics | EMPORIS".
- (1997-07-22). "Society Center". [[Case Western Reserve University]].
- (3 January 2014). "BakerHostetler plans move to Key Tower from PNC Center in 2016". Cleveland.com.
- (February 2017). "Key Tower returns to local ownership, with $267.5 million sale to Millennia Companies (photos)". The Plain Dealer.
- 1991 ''[[World Almanac]]'' page 661
- Jarboe, Michelle. (2009-04-21). "Jacobs Group no longer owns stake in Key Center". The Plain Dealer.
- "Chamber of Commerce Building". [[Case Western Reserve University]].
- Litt, Steven. "Salle Mural Quietly Fills Key Tower Void", ''[[The Plain Dealer]]''. March 22, 1998.
- "Key Tower". [[Emporis]].
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