Chicago Temple Building vs Racine County Courthouse

Comparing the Chicago Temple Building and the Racine County Courthouse is compelling because they were both designed by Holabird & Root, yet they stand in different cities (Chicago, IL and Racine, WI), and were completed more than 7 years apart.

What this will allow us to see, is how the same firm's approach adapted to different places at roughly the same time (7 years isn't that much time when it comes to urban context and architecture).

The Chicago Temple Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 568ft (173m) with 23 floors above ground, while the Racine County Courthouse reaches 157ft (48m) with 11 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 Chicago Temple Building was designed in the Neogothic style, while the Racine County Courthouse reflects the principles of Art Deco.

The Chicago Temple Building represents a late expression of the Neogothic, a style already in decline in 1924 when it was completed. By contrast, the Racine County Courthouse followed the then mainstream Art Deco, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

The Chicago Temple Building is primarily religious, while the Racine County Courthouse is primarily governmental.

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