When construction of the Cass Gilbert-designed building was completed in 1913, the PNC Tower was the fifth-tallest building in the world and the 2nd tallest building outside of New York City. The building opened May 1 with final construction costs of approximately $3 million. It remained the tallest building in Cincinnati until 1931, when construction on the Carew Tower was completed.
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The building, along with nearby skyscraper the Carew Tower, was featured in the opening and closing of the daytime drama The Edge of Night until 1980. Cincinnati had stood in as the show's locale, Monticello; the company that produced Edge, soap and consumer products maker Procter and Gamble, is based in Cincinnati.
The pillared structure on top of the tower is a Greek temple, built for undisclosed reasons.