Riverside Plaza Building vs The Bell Building

Comparing the Riverside Plaza Building and the The Bell Building is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in Chicago, IL, and were both designed by Holabird & Root. However, they were completed more than 37 years apart.

This offers a unique perspective on how the architect's style and the city's architecture evolved over time.

The The Bell Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 427ft (130m) with 31 floors above ground, while the Riverside Plaza Building reaches 302ft (92m) 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.

The Riverside Plaza Building was designed in the Art Deco style, while the The Bell Building reflects the principles of Modern.

The The Bell Building represents a late expression of the Modern, a style already in decline in 1966 when it was completed. By contrast, the Riverside Plaza Building followed the then mainstream Art Deco, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

With 37 years between them, the comparison also reflects how quickly architectural priorities can shift from one dominant language to another.

The Riverside Plaza Building is primarily commercial, while the The Bell Building is primarily .

Originally, the The Bell Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to . The Riverside Plaza Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The Riverside Plaza Building 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 Masonry went with a Masonry facade, which features a heavy masonry skin that gives it a more clasical look, while the The Bell Building opted for a Curtain Wall facade, that uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.