One Prudential Plaza vs 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments

One Prudential Plaza
860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments

Comparing the One Prudential Plaza and the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments is interesting because they both stand in Chicago, IL, and were completed within 4 years of each other, 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.

Height
183m
Floors
41

Height & Size

Height
82m
Floors
26

The One Prudential Plaza is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 600ft (183m) with 41 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.

Style
International Style

Architectural Style

Style
International Style

Both the One Prudential Plaza and the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Naess & Murphy and Mies van der Rohe followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Main use
Commercial

Uses

Main use
Residential

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

The 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments offers 248 residential units.

Structure
Frame
Facade
Window Wall

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Window Wall

Both the One Prudential Plaza and the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments 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 Window Wall facade.

A window wall system is installed between floor slabs. It is simpler and faster to build than curtain walls, but exposes slab edges and requires careful detailing to avoid thermal bridges.

One Prudential Plaza 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments
Naess & Murphy Architect Mies van der Rohe
1952 Construction Started 1949
1955 Year Completed 1951
International Style Architectural Style International Style
Commercial Current Use Residential
41 Floors Above Ground 26
2 Floors Below Ground 2
183 m Height (m) 82 m
Frame Structure Type Frame
Steel Vertical Structure Material Steel
Collaborative Sheet Metal Floors Horizontal Structure Material Concrete
Yes Facade Structural? No
Glass, Limestone Main Facade Material Glass
George A. Fuller Co. Main Contractor Sumner S. Sollitt Company
Naess & Murphy Structural Engineer Georgia Louise Harris Brown
IL State IL
Chicago City Chicago
130 E. Randolph Street Address 860–880 Lake Shore Drive