Carbide & Carbon Building vs NBC Tower

Comparing the Carbide & Carbon Building and the NBC Tower is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Burnham Brothers and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished over two decades apart.

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

Let's take a closer look!

Both the Carbide & Carbon Building and the NBC Tower were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

The NBC Tower was designed at a moment when the Art Deco style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the Carbide & Carbon Building was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

The Carbide & Carbon Building is primarily hotel, while the NBC Tower is primarily commercial.

Originally, the Carbide & Carbon Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to hotel. The NBC Tower by contrast has maintained its original role.

The Carbide & Carbon Building incorporates a 4-star hotel with 396 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

The NBC Tower also provides 261 parking spaces.

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