The Majestic Building vs The Century Apartments Building

Comparing the The Majestic Building and the The Century Apartments Building is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in New York, NY both were designed by Irwin S. Chanin, and they were completed in the same year.

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

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The The Majestic Building rises higher at 344ft (105m), while the The Century Apartments Building reaches 299ft (91m). However, the The Century Apartments Building accommodates more floors with 33 levels above ground, compared to 31 floors in the The Majestic Building.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The The Majestic Building has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 3.4m, while the The Century Apartments Building has more compact floors averaging around 2.8m each. The taller building's more generous floor heights might indicate grander interior spaces, higher ceilings, or different programmatic requirements.

These different proportions likely reflect the specific needs each building was designed to serve, whether driven by zoning regulations, client requirements, or the intended use of the spaces within. The contrast shows how architects can achieve different spatial experiences even when working with similar overall building scales.

Both the The Majestic Building and the The Century Apartments 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 Irwin S. Chanin followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

Both the The Majestic Building and the The Century Apartments Building are primarily residential towers, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

Originally, the The Century Apartments Building was designed for hotel, but over time it was converted to residential. The The Majestic Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

In terms of capacity, the The Majestic Building offers 238 apartments, while the The Century Apartments Building provides 422 units.

Both the The Majestic Building and the The Century Apartments 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.