McGraw Hill Building vs American Radiator Building

Comparing the McGraw Hill Building and the American Radiator Building is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in New York, NY, and were both designed by Howells & Hood. However, they were completed more than 7 years apart.

This offers a unique perspective on how the architect's style and the city's architecture evolved over time.

The McGraw Hill Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 486ft (148m) with 35 floors above ground, while the American Radiator Building reaches 338ft (103m) with 23 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 McGraw Hill Building and the American Radiator Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

The American Radiator Building was completed when the Art Deco was still an emerging movement, giving it a pioneering role. By contrast, the McGraw Hill Building came later, when the style was already more established.

The McGraw Hill Building is primarily commercial, while the American Radiator Building is primarily hotel.

Originally, the American Radiator Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to hotel. The McGraw Hill Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

The American Radiator Building incorporates a 4-star hotel with 130 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

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