The Bell Building vs Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse

Comparing the The Bell Building and the Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse is compelling because they were both designed by Holabird & Root, yet they stand in different cities (Chicago, IL and Saint Paul, MN), and were completed over two decades apart.

What this will allow us to see, is how the same firm's approach adapted to different places in different periods of 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 Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse reaches 259ft (79m) 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.

The The Bell Building was designed in the Modern style, while the Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse reflects the principles of Art Deco.

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 Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse followed the then mainstream Art Deco, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

With 34 years between them, the comparison also reflects how quickly architectural priorities can shift from one dominant language to another.

The The Bell Building is primarily , while the Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse is primarily governmental.

Originally, the The Bell Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to . The Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse by contrast has maintained its original role.

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The The Bell Building uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, while the Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse 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 Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse opted for a Masonry facade, that features a heavy masonry skin that gives it a more clasical look.