Onterie Center vs 474 North Lake Shore Drive

Comparing the Onterie Center and the 474 North Lake Shore Drive 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.

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 Onterie Center reaches 571ft (174m) with 60 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 Onterie Center and the 474 North Lake Shore Drive 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 Onterie Center follows a mixed-use model, combining residential, commercial, retail and hotel. In contrast, the 474 North Lake Shore Drive has remained primarily residential.

The Onterie Center incorporates a -star hotel with 101 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

In terms of capacity, the Onterie Center offers 594 apartments, while the 474 North Lake Shore Drive provides 502 units.

The Onterie Center also provides 363 parking spaces.

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The Onterie Center uses a Trussed Tube system, which , while the 474 North Lake Shore Drive uses a Frame system, that relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight.

And when it came to the facade, the Masonry went with a Masonry facade, which features a heavy masonry skin that gives it a more clasical look, while the 474 North Lake Shore Drive opted for a Modular facade, that employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows.