Mid-Continental Plaza vs 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments

Comparing the Mid-Continental Plaza and the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Shaw and Associates and Mies van der Rohe, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished over two decades 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 Mid-Continental Plaza is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 584ft (178m) with 49 floors above ground, while the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments reaches 269ft (82m) with 26 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 Mid-Continental Plaza and the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

The Mid-Continental Plaza was designed at a moment when the International Style style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

The Mid-Continental Plaza is primarily commercial, while the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments is primarily residential.

In terms of capacity, the Mid-Continental Plaza offers 215 apartments, while the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments provides 248 units.

Both towers share the same structural solution, a Frame 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.

However, when it comes to the facade, both buildings use different approaches. The Mid-Continental Plaza uses a Curtain Wall facade, while the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments uses a Window Wall facade.

A Curtain Wall facade like the one seen in the Mid-Continental Plaza uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure, while a window-wall facade like the one seen in the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments uses panels fitted between floor slabs, leaving slab edges visible.