Chicago Motor Club Building vs LaSalle-Wacker Building

Comparing the Chicago Motor Club Building and the LaSalle-Wacker Building is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in Chicago, IL both were designed by Holabird & Root, and they were completed just one year apart.

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

The LaSalle-Wacker Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 512ft (156m) with 41 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 Chicago Motor Club Building and the LaSalle-Wacker 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 Holabird & Root followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

The Chicago Motor Club Building is primarily hotel, while the LaSalle-Wacker Building is primarily commercial.

Originally, the Chicago Motor Club Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to hotel. The LaSalle-Wacker Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

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

The LaSalle-Wacker Building also provides 95 parking spaces.

Both the Chicago Motor Club Building and the LaSalle-Wacker 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.