UPMC is not giving up the quest to put its initials atop the U.S. Steel Tower, Downtown.

After the city planning commission yesterday rejected the proposed 20-foot-tall sign, the health care giant issued a statement saying it would "continue to pursue this matter."

"We believe that this sign is important to both UPMC and the city as tangible evidence of Pittsburgh's transformation into an international center of medicine, technology and education," the statement said.

The proposed sign was defeated in a tie vote of the six commission members who were present.

Chairwoman Wrenna Watson, who voted in favor of the proposal, said she likes signs, and likes looking down from her home in Crawford Square to see the city skyline twinkling at night.

In that, she was in agreement with William Kolano, who designed the sign that UPMC wants to put at the top of the city's tallest building.

"We're just trying to add another star to the twinkle," Mr. Kolano said.

To do that, the medical center is either going to have to go to court or submit a design that has smaller letters.

The UPMC logo, which was proposed to be 1,900 square feet, was half of what the city code allows.

City planner Susan Tymoczko said the sign took up 1 percent of the building's face, where 2 percent is allowed.

Mr. Kolano said the letters were half the height of those on One Mellon Center next door. The proposed UPMC sign would be readable from the West End Bridge, he said.

Just before the vote, Kyra Strausman, who voted against the proposal, said she would like to see the sign a bit smaller, which was the recommendation of the Riverlife Task Force.

Frederick C. Watts, a project manager for the task force, said the members thought the sign should be about 20 percent smaller, which would lessen its impact on the architectural design of the building's facade.

"UPMC is disappointed by the city planning commission's decision. The city code is clear on the issue of signage size, and our proposed sign is significantly smaller than what is allowed," the statement from the medical center said.

After the vote, when Mr. Kolano asked commission members for guidance, he was told they needed to continue the meeting, but he could meet with planning staff members at a later date, or appeal the decision to Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.