Buhl Building vs AT&T Building

Comparing the Buhl Building and the AT&T Building is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in Detroit, MI both were designed by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, and they were completed within 3 years of each other.

This overlap gives us a unique opportunity to understand how Smith, Hinchman & Grylls approached different commissions in the same urban context and historical context during a short period.

The Buhl Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 367ft (112m) with 27 floors above ground, while the AT&T Building reaches 318ft (97m) with 19 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 Buhl Building was designed in the Neogothic style, while the AT&T Building reflects the principles of Art Deco.

The Buhl Building represents a late expression of the Neogothic, a style already in decline in 1925 when it was completed. By contrast, the AT&T Building followed the then mainstream Art Deco, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

Both the Buhl Building and the AT&T 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.

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