Century Tower vs Chicago Motor Club Building

Comparing the Century Tower and the Chicago Motor Club Building is interesting because they both stand in Chicago, IL, and were completed just one year apart, 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.

The Century Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 395ft (120.4m) with 28 floors above ground, while the Chicago Motor Club Building reaches 236ft (72m) with 17 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 Century Tower and the Chicago Motor Club Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Thielbar & Fugard and Holabird & Root followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The Century Tower is primarily residential, while the Chicago Motor Club Building is primarily hotel.

However, both of them have shifted purpose since their completion. The Century Tower evolved from commercial to residential, while the Chicago Motor Club Building moved from commercial to hotel.

The Chicago Motor Club Building incorporates a 3-star hotel with rooms. More information is available at the official website.

The Century Tower offers 292 residential units.

Both the Century Tower and the Chicago Motor Club 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 Masonry facade.

A masonry facade gives the building a heavier, more traditional appearance. It often conceals a frame structure behind it, creating the look of solid walls without carrying the main loads.