461 Fifth Avenue Building vs Trump International Hotel and Tower

461 Fifth Avenue Building
Trump International Hotel and Tower

Comparing the 461 Fifth Avenue Building and the Trump International Hotel and Tower is compelling because they were both designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, yet they stand in different cities (New York, NY and Chicago, IL), and were completed over two decades apart.

What this will allow us to see, is how the same firm's approach adapted to different places in different periods of time.

Height
115m
Floors
26

Height & Size

Height
360m
Floors
92

The Trump International Hotel and Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1181ft (360m) with 92 floors above ground, while the 461 Fifth Avenue Building reaches 377ft (115m) with 26 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.

Style
Postmodernism

Architectural Style

Style
Contemporary

The 461 Fifth Avenue Building was designed in the Postmodernism style, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower reflects the principles of Contemporary.

At the time of their completion, both styles were well established. This makes the comparison especially interesting, because both buildings represent a dominant aesthetic at a particular point in time.

Built 20 years apart (1989 vs 2009), these two buildings are a perfect example of how different architectural styles have shaped the architectural landscape of our cities over time.

Main use
Commercial

Uses

Main use
Mixed

The Trump International Hotel and Tower follows a mixed-use model, combining hotel, residential and commercial. In contrast, the 461 Fifth Avenue Building has remained primarily commercial.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower incorporates a 5-star hotel with 339 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower offers 486 residential units.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower also provides 960 parking spaces.

Structure
Trussed Frame
Facade
Modular

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The 461 Fifth Avenue Building uses a Trussed Frame system, which uses diagonal bracing in addition to beams and columns for stability, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower uses a Frame system, that relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight.

And when it came to the facade, the Modular went with a Modular facade, which employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower opted for a Curtain Wall facade, that uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.

461 Fifth Avenue Building Trump International Hotel and Tower
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
1988 Construction Started 2005
1989 Year Completed 2009
Postmodernism Architectural Style Contemporary
Commercial Current Use Mixed
26 Floors Above Ground 92
2 Floors Below Ground 5
115 m Height (m) 360 m
8 Number of Elevators 27
Trussed Frame Structure Type Frame
Steel Vertical Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
Steel, Concrete Horizontal Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
No Facade Structural? No
Pre Cast Concrete, Glass Main Facade Material Glass And Stainless Steel Panels
Mitsui Fudosan, London & New York Estates, And Colonial Property Group Developer Donald Trump
NY State IL
New York City Chicago
461 Fifth Avenue Address 401 N. Wabash Ave.