Terminal Commerce Building vs 1616 Walnut Street Building

Comparing the Terminal Commerce Building and the 1616 Walnut Street Building is interesting because they both stand in Philadelphia, PA, and were completed just one year apart, 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 1616 Walnut Street Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 308ft (94m) with 24 floors above ground, while the Terminal Commerce Building reaches 0ft (m) with 14 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 Terminal Commerce Building and the 1616 Walnut Street 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 both Steele, William & Sons and Tilden, Register & Pepper followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The Terminal Commerce Building is primarily commercial, while the 1616 Walnut Street Building is primarily residential.

However, both of them have shifted purpose since their completion. The Terminal Commerce Building evolved from governmental to commercial, while the 1616 Walnut Street Building moved from commercial to residential.

The 1616 Walnut Street Building offers 220 residential units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with Terminal Commerce Building offering 500 spaces and the 1616 Walnut Street Building offering 160.

Both the Terminal Commerce Building and the 1616 Walnut Street 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.