1185 Avenue of the Americas Building vs 28 State Street Building

Comparing the 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building and the 28 State Street Building is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (New York, NY and Boston, MA), both were designed by Emery Roth & Sons 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 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 581ft (177m) with 42 floors above ground, while the 28 State Street Building reaches 499ft (152m) with 40 floors above ground.

1185 Avenue of the Americas Building also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 1,047,392 sqf (97,306m²), which is about 475,398 sqf (44,166m²) more than what the 28 State Street Building offers.

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.

The 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building was designed in the International Style style, while the 28 State Street Building reflects the principles of Modern.

Both towers were built when their respective styles were already past their prime. This makes them feel more like late continuations rather than groundbreaking statements, showing how architectural traditions can linger even as tastes shift.

Both the 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building and the 28 State Street Building were designed to serve as commercial towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

The 28 State Street Building also provides 120 parking spaces.

Both towers share the same structural solution, a Frame system.

A frame structure uses a grid of columns and beams to carry the building's loads. This frees the walls from structural duties, allowing for flexible floor plans and larger windows.

However, when it comes to the facade, both buildings use different approaches. The 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building uses a Curtain Wall facade, while the 28 State Street Building uses a Modular facade.

A Curtain Wall facade like the one seen in the 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure, while a modular facade like the one seen in the 28 State Street Building employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows.