| Grant Building | |
| Location: | 310 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates: | 40.4375°N -79.9975°W |
| Start Date: | 1927 |
| Completion Date: | 1929 |
| Building Type: | Commercial offices |
| Floor Count: | 40 5 below ground |
| Elevator Count: | 12 |
| Cost: | $5.5 million ($ million today) |
| Floor Area: | 400000ft2 |
| Architect: | Henry Hornbostel Eric Fisher Wood |
| Main Contractor: | Dwight P. Robinson & Company |
| Developer: | W. J. Strassburger |
| References: | [1] |
The Grant Building is 40-story, 147.8m (484.9feet) skyscraper at 310 Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The building was completed and opened on February 1, 1929[2] at a cost of $5.5 million ($ million today). The Art Deco building's facade is built with Belgian granite, limestone, and brick. It was famous for a radio antenna that rose roughly 100– from the roof of the tower and had an aviation beacon that spelled out .--. .. - - ... -... ..- .-. --. .... or P-I-T-T-S-B-U-R-G-H in Morse Code. The beacon could be seen as far away as 150miles on clear nights. A smaller version of the beacon, still flashing out the name of the city remains to this day, although malfunctions with the relay switch caused it to spell "P-I-T-E-T-S-B-K-R-R-H", and eventually "T-P-E-B-T-S-A-U-R-G-H" before being repaired on July 27, 2009.[3]
The tower on the roof also served as the broadcast antenna for radio station KDKA Pittsburgh which made the first commercially licensed radio broadcast on election night of 1920. At 7:00 AM on its 14th birthday (February 2, 1934), the radio station inaugurated new studios on the Grant Building's third floor.
Huntington National Bank, which operates a branch inside the tower, owns the signage rights, giving them two signs in the Pittsburgh skyline alongside Centre City Tower where Huntington has their Western Pennsylvania headquarters.