32 Avenue of the Americas Building vs 60 Hudson Street Building

Comparing the 32 Avenue of the Americas Building and the 60 Hudson Street Building is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in New York, NY both were designed by Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker, and they were completed within 2 years of each other.

This overlap gives us a unique opportunity to understand how Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker approached different commissions in the same urban context and historical context during a short period.

The 32 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 430ft (131m) with 28 floors above ground, while the 60 Hudson Street Building reaches 371ft (113m) with 24 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 32 Avenue of the Americas Building and the 60 Hudson 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 Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker 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 32 Avenue of the Americas Building and the 60 Hudson 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.

Both the 32 Avenue of the Americas Building and the 60 Hudson Street 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.