30 Rockefeller Plaza Buiding vs Daily News Building

Comparing the 30 Rockefeller Plaza Buiding and the Daily News Building is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in New York, NY both were designed by Howells & Hood, and they were completed within 3 years of each other.

This overlap gives us a unique opportunity to understand how Howells & Hood approached different commissions in the same urban context and historical context during a short period.

The 30 Rockefeller Plaza Buiding is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 853ft (260m) with 70 floors above ground, while the Daily News Building reaches 476ft (145m) with 36 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 30 Rockefeller Plaza Buiding and the Daily News 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 Howells & Hood followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

Both the 30 Rockefeller Plaza Buiding and the Daily News 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.

Both the 30 Rockefeller Plaza Buiding and the Daily News Building rely on a Frame structural 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.

They also employ the same type of facade, a Masonry facade.

A masonry facade gives the building a heavier, more traditional appearance. It often conceals a frame structure behind it, creating the look of solid walls without carrying the main loads.