Richard J. Daley Center vs Promontory Apartments

Richard J. Daley Center
Promontory Apartments

Comparing the Richard J. Daley Center and the Promontory Apartments is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, C.F. Murphy Associates and Mies van der Rohe, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than a decade 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!

Height
198m
Floors
31

Height & Size

Height
66.5m
Floors
22

The Richard J. Daley Center is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 650ft (198m) with 31 floors above ground, while the Promontory Apartments reaches 218ft (66.5m) with 22 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 Richard J. Daley Center and the Promontory 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 C.F. Murphy Associates 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
Governmental

Uses

Main use
Residential

The Richard J. Daley Center is primarily governmental, while the Promontory Apartments is primarily residential.

The Promontory Apartments offers 122 residential units.

Structure
Framed Tube In Tube
Facade
Curtain Wall

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Window Wall

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The Richard J. Daley Center uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, while the Promontory Apartments 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 Curtain Wall went with a Curtain Wall facade, which uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure, while the Promontory Apartments opted for a Window Wall facade, that uses panels fitted between floor slabs, leaving slab edges visible.

Richard J. Daley Center Promontory Apartments
C.F. Murphy Associates Architect Mies van der Rohe
1963 Construction Started 1947
1965 Year Completed 1949
International Style Architectural Style International Style
Governmental Current Use Residential
31 Floors Above Ground 22
198 m Height (m) 66.5 m
Framed Tube In Tube Structure Type Frame
Steel Vertical Structure Material Concrete
Concrete Horizontal Structure Material Concrete
Yes Facade Structural? No
Glass, Cor Ten Main Facade Material Brick
Chicago Public Building Commission Developer Herbert Greenwald
IL State IL
Chicago City Chicago
55 West Randolph Street Address 5530–5532 South Shore Dr.