Merchandise Mart vs Chicago Board of Trade Building

Comparing the Merchandise Mart and the Chicago Board of Trade Building is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Graham, Anderson, Probst & White and Holabird & Root, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than 9 years apart.

This contrast within the same city allows us to see how different creative minds interpreted the evolving needs of Chicago across time.

Let's take a closer look!

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 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 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 Merchandise Mart was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

Both the Merchandise Mart and the Chicago Board of Trade 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.

Both the Merchandise Mart 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.