History & Features Of The Regional Enterprise Tower (Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission)

History & Features

Photo Of The Main Entrance To The Regional Enterprise Tower On Sixth Avenue At the time of its construction as Alcoa's world headquarters in the early 1950s, the tower was considered a vanguard of modern architecture made almost exclusively from the useful, economical and beautiful metal: aluminum. The building was designed by Harrison & Abramovitz Architects of New York. The majority of the building's light metal components—from its exterior walls, reversible windows for inside cleaning, plumbing, and thousands of pounds of interior trim—prove that aluminum is both practical and economical in almost every phase of building construction.

Vital Stats:

Architects: Harrison & Abramovitz of New York
Material: Aluminum
Opening: 1953
Height: 410 feet
Stories: 31
Office Space: 360,000 square feet (12,000 per floor)
Tenant Ratio: Roughly 85% Nonprofit, 15% for profit

Alcoa faced the unusual problem of finding manufacturers to design and construct for the first time many new building components in aluminum. But all this paid off. If the building were made with conventional masonry construction, it would have weighed an additional 10,340 tons! The aluminum construction saved 30-50% over traditional heavier structural material.

The building has several impressive accents and features. Lobby columns and walls are faced with pink-gray Norwegian rose marble. Blue Belge marble—one of the hardest varieties of marble in existence—is combined with white Vermont marble on all the lobby floors.

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Photo Of The Famous Aluminum Birds Sculpture In The Lobby Of The Regional Enterprise Tower Amenities

The RET remains true to its vision of consolidating resources and a unified regional development effort. The building provides 360,000 square feet of premier office space with the following impressive facilities and convenient services:

Conference center with state-of-the-art technology, breakout rooms, telephone rooms, and catering facilities
31st Floor offering dramatic meeting and entertainment space with a panoramic view of the Pittsburgh skyline.
A 62-seat theater
24-hour access and security
High-speed internet connection, voicemail and phone services
Lobby restaurant
Mail services
Full-service copy center located in the building
NEW IN '05: All public spaces in the building are now wireless hotspots where people can access internet services and work on their laptops between meetings. Free wireless internet access has also been added to the Conference Center rooms and the 31st Floor, making it easier to use the internet for group presentations.

Today, approximately 90 businesses and nonprofit organizations inhabit the Tower. Given the Tower’s unique mission, the comparison of nonprofit to for-profit tenants is 85% vs. 15%, respectively. The Regional Enterprise Tower is more than just an office building. It is dedicated to serving the needs of its occupants in relation to our region’s vision: for Southwestern Pennsylvania to be recognized among the best places to live, work, play and invest. The Regional Enterprise Tower, and the many resources it houses, are made possible through the generous support of our corporate and philanthropic community working in partnership with the public sector.

You can make the Regional Enterprise Tower your address, too, by visiting our leasing information section!

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