Merchandise Mart vs Century Tower

Comparing the Merchandise Mart and the Century Tower is interesting because they both stand in Chicago, IL, and were completed in the same year, but they were designed by different architects.

This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.

The Century Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 395ft (120.4m) with 28 floors above ground, while the Merchandise Mart reaches 341ft (104m) 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 Merchandise Mart and the Century Tower 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 both Graham, Anderson, Probst & White and Thielbar & Fugard followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The Merchandise Mart is primarily commercial, while the Century Tower is primarily residential.

Originally, the Century Tower was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to residential. The Merchandise Mart by contrast has maintained its original role.

The Century Tower offers 292 residential units.

Both the Merchandise Mart and the Century Tower 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.