Americas Tower vs 250 Vesey Street Building

Americas Tower
250 Vesey Street Building

Comparing the Americas Tower and the 250 Vesey Street Building is interesting because they both rise in New York, NY, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Swanke Hayden Connell Architects and César Pelli & Associates, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than 6 years apart.

This contrast within the same city allows us to see how different creative minds interpreted the evolving needs of New York across time.

Let's take a closer look!

Height
211m
Floors
48

Height & Size

Height
152m
Floors
34

The Americas Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 692ft (211m) with 48 floors above ground, while the 250 Vesey Street Building reaches 499ft (152m) with 34 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
Postmodernism

Both the Americas Tower and the 250 Vesey Street Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

The Americas Tower was designed at a moment when the Postmodernism style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the 250 Vesey Street Building style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the 250 Vesey Street Building was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

Main use
Commercial

Uses

Main use
Commercial

Both the Americas Tower and the 250 Vesey 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.

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

Both the Americas Tower and the 250 Vesey 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 Curtain Wall facade.

A curtain wall is a non-load-bearing facade hung from the structural frame. It is anchored to floor slabs and transfers only its own weight and wind loads, allowing for sleek, glassy exteriors.

Americas Tower 250 Vesey Street Building
Swanke Hayden Connell Architects Architect César Pelli & Associates
1989 Construction Started 1984
1992 Year Completed 1986
Postmodernism Architectural Style Postmodernism
Commercial Current Use Commercial
48 Floors Above Ground 34
211 m Height (m) 152 m
Frame Structure Type Frame
Steel Vertical Structure Material Steel
Concrete And Steel Horizontal Structure Material Concrete
No Facade Structural? No
Granite, Glass Main Facade Material Granite, Glass
Americas Tower Partners Developer Olympia & York Companies
Thornton Tomasetti Structural Engineer Thornton Tomasetti
NY State NY
New York City New York
1177 6th Avenue Address 250 Vesey Street