Guardian Building vs Fisher Building

Guardian Building
Fisher Building

Comparing the Guardian Building and the Fisher Building is interesting because they both stand in Detroit, MI, and were completed just one year apart, but they were designed by different architects.

This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.

Height
151m
Floors
36

Height & Size

Height
135m
Floors
30

The Guardian Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 495ft (151m) with 36 floors above ground, while the Fisher Building reaches 443ft (135m) with 30 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.

Style
Art Deco

Architectural Style

Style
Art Deco

Both the Guardian 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 both Smith, Hinchman & Grylls and Albert Kahn Associates followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Main use
Commercial

Uses

Main use
Commercial

Both the Guardian Building and the Fisher Building were designed to serve as commercial towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

The Fisher Building also provides 964 parking spaces.

Structure
Frame
Facade

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Masonry

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

Guardian Building Fisher Building
Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Architect Albert Kahn Associates
1927 Construction Started 1927
1929 Year Completed 1928
Art Deco Architectural Style Art Deco
Commercial Current Use Commercial
36 Floors Above Ground 30
149 Last Floor Height 104
151 m Height (m) 135 m
193 Tip Height 149
12 Number of Elevators 20
Frame Structure Type Frame
Steel Vertical Structure Material Steel
Concrete Horizontal Structure Material Concrete
No Facade Structural? No
Granite, Limestone, Terracotta, Brick Main Facade Material Limestone
Union Trust Company Developer Fisher Family
Anthony Eugenio, Corrado Parducci, Mary Chase Perry Stratton, And Ezra Winter Collaborating Artist Géza Maróti, Corrado Parducci, Anthony De Lorenzo And Ulysses Ricci
MI State MI
Detroit City Detroit
500 Griswold Street Address 3011 W. Grand Blvd.