Guardian Building vs Penobscot Building

Guardian Building
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
151m
Floors
36

Height & Size

Height
172m
Floors
45

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.

Style
Art Deco

Architectural Style

Style
Art Deco

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.

Main use
Commercial

Uses

Main use
Commercial

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
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 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