59 West 12th Street Building vs 55 Water Street Building

Comparing the 59 West 12th Street Building and the 55 Water Street Building is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in New York, NY, and were both designed by Emery Roth & Sons. However, they were completed more than 41 years apart.

This offers a unique perspective on how the architect's style and the city's architecture evolved over time.

The 55 Water Street Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 686ft (209m) with 53 floors above ground, while the 59 West 12th Street Building reaches 0ft (m) with 17 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.

The 59 West 12th Street Building was designed in the Art Deco style, while the 55 Water Street Building reflects the principles of International Style.

The 55 Water Street Building represents a late expression of the International Style, a style already in decline in 1972 when it was completed. By contrast, the 59 West 12th Street Building followed the then mainstream Art Deco, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

With 41 years between them, the comparison also reflects how quickly architectural priorities can shift from one dominant language to another.

The 59 West 12th Street Building is primarily residential, while the 55 Water Street Building is primarily commercial.

The 59 West 12th Street Building offers 103 residential units.

The 55 Water Street Building also provides 600 parking spaces.

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