PNC Plaza is a skyscraper

Skyscraper

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

 in Downtown

Downtown Louisville

Downtown Louisville is the largest central business district in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the urban hub of the Louisville, Kentucky Metropolitan Area. Its boundaries are the Ohio River to the north, Hancock Street to the east, York and Jacob Streets to the south, and 9th Street to the west...

, Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

 and located at 500 West Jefferson Street. Owned by Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank, the 30-story, 420 feet (128 m) high structure was designed by architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 Welton Becket

Welton Becket

Welton Becket was an architect who designed many buildings in Los Angeles, California.Becket was born in Seattle, Washington and graduated from the University of Washington program in Architecture in 1927 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree .He settled in Los Angeles in 1933 and formed a...

 and was completed in 1971. A notable feature of the building is the pattern of pre-cast concrete panels on the exterior of its windows. The building, originally named Citizens Fidelity Plaza, was named after Citizens Fidelity Bank and renamed PNC Plaza when Citizens Fidelity was acquired by PNC Bank.

PNC Plaza became the tallest building in the state of Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

 in 1971, but lost that distinction a year later when National City Tower

National City Tower

National City Tower is a skyscraper in Downtown, Louisville, Kentucky, United States, and located at 101 South Fifth Street. Completed in 1972, the 40-story, high structure was designed by architects Wallace Harrison and Max Abramovitz based on the timeless designs of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe...

 was completed in 1972. PNC now owns both buildings due to its own acquisition

National City acquisition by PNC

The National City acquisition by PNC was the deal by PNC Financial Services to acquire National City Corp. on October 24, 2008 following National City's untenable loan losses during the subprime mortgage crisis...

 of National City Corp.

National City Corp.

National City Corporation was a regional bank holding company based in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, founded in 1845; it was once one of the ten largest banks in America in terms of deposits, mortgages and home equity lines of credit. Subsidiary National City Mortgage is credited for doing the first...

in an unrelated move.

The Jefferson Club, a private city club, was located on the top floor of the building, until closing in February 2010.

The building was purchased by Optima International of Miami for a $77 million cash and mortgage assumption deal that closed on September 21, 2011.