Rochester Times Square Building vs 1 Wall Street Building

Comparing the Rochester Times Square Building and the 1 Wall Street Building is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Rochester, NY and New York, NY), both were designed by Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker and finished within just one year apart. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

The 1 Wall Street Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 653ft (199m) with 50 floors above ground, while the Rochester Times Square Building reaches 259ft (79m) with 14 floors above ground.

Of course, each project may have faced different briefs or regulatory constraints, which we don't really know about and could also explain the outcome.

Both the Rochester Times Square Building and the 1 Wall Street Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker and Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The Rochester Times Square Building is primarily commercial, while the 1 Wall Street Building is primarily residential.

Originally, the 1 Wall Street Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to residential. The Rochester Times Square Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

The 1 Wall Street Building offers 566 residential units.

These two towers illustrate the many possible ways to combine structure and enclosure in skyscraper design.