American Radiator Building vs 2 Park Avenue Building


Comparing the American Radiator Building and the 2 Park Avenue Building is interesting because they both stand in New York, NY, and were completed within 4 years of each other, but they were designed by different architects.
This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.
Height & Size
The 2 Park Avenue Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 361ft (110m) with 28 floors above ground, while the American Radiator Building reaches 338ft (103m) with 23 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.
Architectural Style
Both the American Radiator Building and the 2 Park Avenue Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.
Back then, theArt Deco was still an emerging movement, so both giving it a pioneering role. By contrast, the 2 Park Avenue Building came later, when the style was already more established.
Uses
The American Radiator Building is primarily hotel, while the 2 Park Avenue Building is primarily commercial.
Originally, the American Radiator Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to hotel. The 2 Park Avenue Building by contrast has maintained its original role.
The American Radiator Building incorporates a 4-star hotel with 130 rooms. More information is available at the official website.
Structure & Facade
These two towers illustrate the many possible ways to combine structure and enclosure in skyscraper design.
American Radiator Building | 2 Park Avenue Building | |
---|---|---|
Howells & Hood | Architect | Buchanan & Kahn Architects |
1923 | Construction Started | 1926 |
1924 | Year Completed | 1928 |
Art Deco | Architectural Style | Art Deco |
Hotel | Current Use | Commercial |
23 | Floors Above Ground | 28 |
103 m | Height (m) | 110 m |
7,200 m² | Usable Area (m²) | 92,903 m² |
4 | Number of Elevators | 26 |
Frame | Structure Type | Frame |
Steel | Vertical Structure Material | Steel |
No | Facade Structural? | No |
Brick | Main Facade Material | Bricks |
Rene Paul Chambellan | Collaborating Artist | Léon Victor Solon |
NY | State | NY |
New York | City | New York |
40 52 W. 40th St | Address | 2 Park Avenue |