Guardian Building vs Penobscot Building


Comparing the Guardian Building and the Penobscot Building is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in Detroit, MI both were designed by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, and they were completed just one year apart.
This overlap gives us a unique opportunity to understand how Smith, Hinchman & Grylls approached different commissions in the same urban context and historical context during a short period.
Height & Size
The Penobscot Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 564ft (172m) with 45 floors above ground, while the Guardian Building reaches 495ft (151m) with 36 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.
Architectural Style
Both the Guardian Building and the Penobscot 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 Smith, Hinchman & Grylls followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.
Uses
Both the Guardian Building and the Penobscot 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.
Structure & Facade
These two towers illustrate the many possible ways to combine structure and enclosure in skyscraper design.
Guardian Building | Penobscot Building | |
---|---|---|
Smith, Hinchman & Grylls | Architect | Smith, Hinchman & Grylls |
1927 | Construction Started | 1927 |
1929 | Year Completed | 1928 |
Art Deco | Architectural Style | Art Deco |
Commercial | Current Use | Commercial |
36 | Floors Above Ground | 45 |
4 | Floors Below Ground | 2 |
149 | Last Floor Height | 159 |
151 m | Height (m) | 172 m |
193 | Tip Height | 202 |
12 | Number of Elevators | 25 |
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 | Murphy Company |
Anthony Eugenio, Corrado Parducci, Mary Chase Perry Stratton, And Ezra Winter | Collaborating Artist | Corrado Parducci |
MI | State | MI |
Detroit | City | Detroit |
500 Griswold Street | Address | 645 Griswold Street |