Key Tower vs Carnegie Hall Tower

Key Tower
Carnegie Hall Tower

Comparing the Key Tower and the Carnegie Hall Tower is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Cleveland, OH and New York, NY), both were designed by César Pelli & Associates and finished within in the same year. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

Height
289m
Floors
62

Height & Size

Height
231m
Floors
60

The Key Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 948ft (289m) with 62 floors above ground, while the Carnegie Hall Tower reaches 758ft (231m) with 60 floors above ground.

Key Tower also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 1,249,979 sqf (116,127m2), which is about 722,548 sqf (67,127m2) more than what the Carnegie Hall Tower offers.

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
Postmodernism

Architectural Style

Style
Postmodernism

Both the Key Tower and the Carnegie Hall Tower were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

Both buildings were completed when the Postmodernism style was already past its peak. This makes them feel like late echoes of the movement, more reflective of continuity or nostalgia than of cutting-edge design at the time.

Main use
Commercial

Uses

Main use
Commercial

Both the Key Tower and the Carnegie Hall Tower 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
Modular

Structure & Facade

Structure
Framed Tube In Tube
Facade
Masonry

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The Key Tower uses a Frame system, which relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight, while the Carnegie Hall Tower uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, that combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns.

And when it came to the facade, the Modular went with a Modular facade, which employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows, while the Carnegie Hall Tower opted for a Masonry facade, that features a heavy masonry skin that gives it a more clasical look.

Key Tower Carnegie Hall Tower
César Pelli & Associates Architect César Pelli & Associates
1988 Design Ended 1987
1989 Construction Started 1988
1991 Year Completed 1991
Postmodernism Architectural Style Postmodernism
Commercial Current Use Commercial
62 Floors Above Ground 60
289 m Height (m) 231 m
116127 Built-up Area (m²) 49000
Frame Structure Type Framed Tube In Tube
Reinforced Concrete Vertical Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
Concrete And Steel Horizontal Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
No Facade Structural? Yes
Granite, Glass Main Facade Material Brick, Glass
Turner Construction Company Main Contractor HRH Construction
Richard E. Jacobs Group Developer Rockrose Development Corp
Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire Structural Engineer Rosenwasser/Grossman Consulting Engineers
OH State NY
Cleveland City New York
127 Public Square Address 152 West 57th Street