Detroit Free Press Building vs Fisher Building

Comparing the Detroit Free Press Building and the Fisher Building is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in Detroit, MI both were designed by Albert Kahn Associates, and they were completed within 3 years of each other.

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

The Fisher Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 443ft (135m) with 30 floors above ground, while the Detroit Free Press Building reaches 190ft (58m) with 14 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 Detroit Free Press Building and the Fisher 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 Albert Kahn Associates 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 Detroit Free Press Building is primarily residential, while the Fisher Building is primarily commercial.

Originally, the Detroit Free Press Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to residential. The Fisher Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

The Detroit Free Press Building offers 105 residential units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with Detroit Free Press Building offering 105 spaces and the Fisher Building offering 964.

Both the Detroit Free Press Building and the Fisher 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.