Hilton Milwaukee City Center vs Chicago Board of Trade Building

Comparing the Hilton Milwaukee City Center and the Chicago Board of Trade Building is compelling because they were both designed by Holabird & Root, yet they stand in different cities (Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL), and were completed a decade apart.

What this will allow us to see, is how the same firm's approach adapted to different places in different periods of time.

The Chicago Board of Trade Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 604ft (184m) with 44 floors above ground, while the Hilton Milwaukee City Center reaches 276ft (84m) with 25 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 Hilton Milwaukee City Center and the Chicago Board of Trade Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

The Chicago Board of Trade Building was designed at a moment when the Art Deco style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the Hilton Milwaukee City Center was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

The Hilton Milwaukee City Center is primarily hotel, while the Chicago Board of Trade Building is primarily commercial.

Both the Hilton Milwaukee City Center and the Chicago Board of Trade 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.