Metropolitan Life North Building vs 21 West Street Building

Comparing the Metropolitan Life North Building and the 21 West Street Building is interesting because they both rise in New York, NY, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Harvey Wiley Corbett and Starrett & van Vleck, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than a decade apart.

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

Let's take a closer look!

Both the Metropolitan Life North Building and the 21 West Street Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

The Metropolitan Life North 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 21 West Street Building style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the 21 West Street Building was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

The Metropolitan Life North Building is primarily commercial, while the 21 West Street Building is primarily residential.

Originally, the 21 West Street Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to residential. The Metropolitan Life North Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

The 21 West Street Building offers 293 residential units.

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