American Stock Exchange Building vs 21 West Street Building

Comparing the American Stock Exchange Building and the 21 West Street Building is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in New York, NY, and were both designed by Starrett & van Vleck. However, they were completed more than 10 years apart.

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

The 21 West Street Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 374ft (114m) with 31 floors above ground, while the American Stock Exchange Building reaches 210ft (64m) with 14 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 American Stock Exchange Building and the 21 West Street 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 21 West Street Building came later, when the style was already more established.

The American Stock Exchange Building is primarily commercial, while the 21 West Street Building is primarily residential.

Originally, the 21 West Street Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to residential. The American Stock Exchange Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

The 21 West Street Building offers 293 residential units.

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