Detroit Free Press Building vs The Kean Building

Comparing the Detroit Free Press Building and the The Kean Building is interesting because they both rise in Detroit, MI, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Albert Kahn Associates and Charles Noble, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than 6 years apart.

This contrast within the same city allows us to see how different creative minds interpreted the evolving needs of Detroit across time.

Let's take a closer look!

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The Detroit Free Press Building rises higher at 190ft (58m), while the The Kean Building reaches 180ft (55m). However, the The Kean Building accommodates more floors with 16 levels above ground, compared to 14 floors in the Detroit Free Press Building.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The Detroit Free Press Building has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 4.1m, while the The Kean Building has more compact floors averaging around 3.4m each. The taller building's more generous floor heights might indicate grander interior spaces, higher ceilings, or different programmatic requirements.

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 Detroit Free Press Building and the The Kean 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 Albert Kahn Associates and Charles Noble followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Both the Detroit Free Press Building and the The Kean Building are primarily residential towers, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

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

In terms of capacity, the Detroit Free Press Building offers 105 apartments, while the The Kean Building provides 49 units.

The Detroit Free Press Building also provides 105 parking spaces.

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