What is the Gulf Tower in downtown Pittsburgh?

PITTSBURGH — You probably know what the Gulf Tower in downtown Pittsburgh is without knowing its name.

The iconic part of Pittsburgh’s skyline -- completed in 1932 -- features a light at the top that changes colors based on the weather forecast.

The light went dark in 1974 and returned in 1990, before being upgraded again in 2012.

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Gulf Tower Gulf Tower

Once the headquarters for the Gulf Oil Company, the 44-story building was the tallest in Pittsburgh until the U.S. Steel Tower opened in 1971.

The signature feature of the tower is the top of the tower, which is modeled after the ancient Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in Turkey.

The lights on the building’s pyramid became an instant landmark and popular among Pittsburghers for their color-coded weather predictions using Gulf’s corporate colors of blue and orange. The company even printed out postcards to help Pittsburghers decode the lights.

Read more about the tower’s history in Pittsburgh HERE.

Cox Media Group