Thebuildings and architecture ofAllentown, Pennsylvania reflect the city's history from its founding in 1762 through to the present.

Allentown is characterized by historic homes, churches, commercial structures, and century-old industrial buildings, some of which played a role in theAmerican Revolution of the 18th century, or were centerpieces in theIndustrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Many of the city's homes and building structures rank among the oldest in theUnited States.

Allentown was founded in 1762. There are three historic districts in Allentown: Old Allentown, the Old Fairgrounds, and West Park neighborhoods. Old Allentown and Old Fairgrounds areCenter City neighborhoods that hold a joint house tour organized by Old Allentown Preservation Association annually in September. West Park neighborhood also offers a tour of this district's largerVictorian andAmerican Craftsman-style homes.^[1]

The oldest standing structure in Allentown isTrout Hall, built in 1770 byJames Hamilton, son-in-law ofWilliam Allen, the city's founder. Located at South 4th and Walnut streets, the home was later renamed several times. It was known as Livingston Mansion. In 1848, it became Allentown Seminary. In 1867, it housed the newly-establishedMuhlenberg College prior to the college's move to its present location offCedar Crest Boulevard. In 1905, it was restored and is currently administered as Trout Hall by theLehigh County Historical Society.

Miller 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 WestHamilton Street. The church's original structure was alog cabin Union Church it shared with the congregation of St. Paul's Lutheran. Zion's current building, a neo-gothic^[2] 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.^[3]

Until 2023, Zion's Church also hosted theLiberty Bell Museum, due to the special role the church played in protecting theLiberty Bell from capture byBritish during theBritish occupation of Philadelphia in 1777. The Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards in the church's basement.

In the 20th century,rowhouses, many built in theVictorian orFederal style, became popular in Allentown. The West End neighborhood, which runs roughly from 15th Street toCedar Crest Boulevard, is famous for both its brick twin styles closer to center city and large homes, including the Hess Mansion, which is located in the city's west-end.

ThePPL Building, constructed between 1926 and 1928, is Allentown's tallest building at 322 feet (98 m). It is 23 stories high and is located at the northwest corner of 9th andHamilton streets. ALehigh Valley icon, the building'sArt Deco tower is visible throughout the Lehigh Valley; in clear weather, the building's tower is visible as far north asBlue Mountain. The building was designed by architect and skyscraper pioneerHarvey Wiley Corbett, who later helped designRockefeller Center inManhattan and was supervised by his assistant,Wallace Harrison, who later designedLincoln Center,LaGuardia Airport, and theU.N. Headquarters Building inNew York City. The building exterior featuresbas reliefs byAlexander Archipenko.

In 1930, thePPL Building was named the "best example of a modern office building" byEncyclopædia Britannica and was featured as having the world's fastestelevator. Exterior shots of Allentown'sPPL Building are featured in the 1954 movieExecutive Suite.^[4]

At the beginning of the 21st century, much of Allentown's office and retail space was vacant.

In December 2011, J.B. Reilly,^[5] Alvin H. Butz^[6] 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 newPPL Center at 7th andHamilton streets.

In the early 21st century, some historic industrial buildings have been converted to loft-style rental apartments, including the Farr Lofts inCenter City, the P&P Mill Building in the 1st Ward, and Auburn Station near the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Center.

The tallest buildings and structures in theLehigh Valley, (metropolitan Allentown) are:^[7][8]

• Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Lehigh Valley

Wikimedia Commons has media related toArchitecture of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

• "Architecture in the Lehigh Valley" atLehigh Valley Marketplace
• "Historical Allentown" at AllentownPA.gov

• Architecture in the United States by city
• History of Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Buildings and structures in Allentown, Pennsylvania

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