474 North Lake Shore Drive vs The Bell Building

Comparing the 474 North Lake Shore Drive and the The Bell Building is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Dubin, Dubin, Black & Moutoussamy and Holabird & Root, 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 474 North Lake Shore Drive is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 581ft (177m) with 61 floors above ground, while the The Bell Building reaches 427ft (130m) with 31 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 474 North Lake Shore Drive and the The Bell Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Modern style.

Both buildings were completed when the Modern style was already past its peak. This makes them feel like late echoes of the movement, more reflective of continuity or nostalgia than of cutting-edge design at the time.

The 474 North Lake Shore Drive is primarily residential, while the The Bell Building is primarily .

Originally, the The Bell Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to . The 474 North Lake Shore Drive by contrast has maintained its original role.

The 474 North Lake Shore Drive offers 502 residential units.

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The 474 North Lake Shore Drive uses a Frame system, which relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight, while the The Bell Building uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, that combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns.

And when it came to the facade, the Modular went with a Modular facade, which employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows, while the The Bell Building opted for a Curtain Wall facade, that uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.