Great Southwest Building vs City National Bank Building

Comparing the Great Southwest Building and the City National Bank Building is interesting because they both rise in Houston, TX, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Alfred Bossm and Alfred C. Finn, 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 Houston across time.

Let's take a closer look!

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The Great Southwest Building rises higher at 292ft (89m), while the City National Bank Building reaches 285ft (87m). However, the City National Bank Building accommodates more floors with 23 levels above ground, compared to 21 floors in the Great Southwest Building.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The Great Southwest Building has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 4.2m, while the City National Bank Building has more compact floors averaging around 3.8m each.

These different proportions likely reflect the specific needs each building was designed to serve, whether driven by zoning regulations, client requirements, or the intended use of the spaces within. The contrast shows how architects can achieve different spatial experiences even when working with similar overall building scales.

Both the Great Southwest Building and the City National Bank Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

The City National Bank Building 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 Great Southwest Building was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

The Great Southwest Building is primarily hotel, while the City National Bank Building is primarily commercial.

Originally, the Great Southwest Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to hotel. The City National Bank Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

The Great Southwest Building incorporates a 4-star hotel with 226 rooms.

The City National Bank Building also provides 777 parking spaces.

Both the Great Southwest Building and the City National Bank 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.