Skyscrapers: A Social History of the Very Tall Building in AmericaThis history of skyscrapers examines how these tall buildings affected the cityscape and the people who worked in, lived in, and visited them. Much of the focus is rightly on the architects who had the vision to design and build America’s skyscrapers, but attention is also given to the steelworkers who built them, the financiers who put up the money, and the daredevils who attempt to “conquer” them in some inexplicable pursuit of fame. The impact of the skyscraper on popular culture, particularly film and literature, is also explored. |
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Contents
Skyscraper Panorama | 1 |
Looking for a Way Upward | 7 |
A New Genius for Building Tall | 20 |
Timid New York Grows Bold | 34 |
Mr Woolworth Builds His Shrine | 50 |
Of Lights Elevators and Water That Runs to the Sky | 61 |
The Great Tribune Competition | 71 |
The 1920s | 83 |
The Human Spider and Other Fancies of the Silver Screen | 150 |
A View from the Deck | 163 |
Skyscrapers Go Modern | 175 |
Chicago Catches Up at Last | 194 |
The World Trade Towers | 204 |
Climbers and DaredevilsThe Old and the New | 212 |
The Sears Tower | 222 |
American Skyline | 228 |
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Common terms and phrases
42nd Street aesthetic American cities American skyscrapers architects architectural art deco beautiful became bridge builders built Burnham Burnham and Root Chicago Chrysler Building city's Civic Opera Building climb commercial Company decades downtown dramatic early elevator Empire State Building engineering example feet film fire firm floor Foshay giant glass Gothic height Holabird Hood idea inspiration Jenney kind land large number later Lloyd lobby Louis Sullivan lower Manhattan Metropolitan Michigan Avenue Mies million movie neighborhood never observation deck office building office space opened ornament Owings and Merrill perhaps Photo planned Plaza railroad Raskob RCA Building River Rockefeller Center roof scrapers Seagram Building Sears Tower seemed setback Singer skyline skyscraper skyscraper construction steel stories structure style successful tall buildings tallest building terra cotta things tion Tribune twentieth century urban visitors walls West Woolworth Building workers World Trade Towers York Zeppelin
Bibliographic information
| Title | Skyscrapers: A Social History of the Very Tall Building in America |
| Author | George H. Douglas |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint, revised |
| Publisher | McFarland, 2004 |
| ISBN | 0786420308, 9780786420308 |
| Length | 280 pages |
| Subjects | › › Art / General History / General History / United States / General Social Science / Popular Culture |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |