Palmolive Building vs Chicago Motor Club Building

Comparing the Palmolive Building and the Chicago Motor Club Building is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in Chicago, IL both were designed by Holabird & Root, and they were completed in the same year.

This overlap gives us a unique opportunity to understand how Holabird & Root approached different commissions in the same urban context and historical context during a short period.

The Palmolive Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 564ft (172m) with 37 floors above ground, while the Chicago Motor Club Building reaches 236ft (72m) with 17 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 Palmolive Building and the Chicago Motor Club Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So Holabird & Root followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

The Palmolive Building is primarily residential, while the Chicago Motor Club Building is primarily hotel.

However, both of them have shifted purpose since their completion. The Palmolive Building evolved from commercial to residential, while the Chicago Motor Club Building moved from commercial to hotel.

The Chicago Motor Club Building incorporates a 3-star hotel with rooms. More information is available at the official website.

The Palmolive Building offers 102 residential units.

Both the Palmolive Building and the Chicago Motor Club Building 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 Masonry facade.

A masonry facade gives the building a heavier, more traditional appearance. It often conceals a frame structure behind it, creating the look of solid walls without carrying the main loads.