The Origin and Evolution of the Skyscraper

There was conceivably no building type in the United States that represented the Twentieth Century more than the skyscraper. It established the political, industrial, and technological ability of the new world becoming the major architectural symbol of America. Urban hubs, such as Chicago and New York, developed concentrated groups of towers that prevailed the city skylines, as cathedrals had done centuries earlier in other parts of the world. The origin of the skyscraper or structures of large heights can be traced throughout architectural history. Though the phrase “skyscraper” was not a coined description, there were still buildings and structures of large scale, “scraping the skies”. The Egyptian pyramids, the Tower of Babel, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and even the Pagodas, being constructed of stone and brick are all examples of tall structures that had been raised throughout history. The earliest tall buildings of the United States up until the late 19th century were of solid masonry construction. In order to hold up the weight of a building the walls had to be thick, so most structures were no taller than about seven stories.[i] This resulted in using a large amount of floor space. In 1871, a fire completely destroyed the city area of Chicago, Illinois. The end result was catastrophic due to the weak structural components of the buildings. The city then brought in architects that used new technology to rebuild it bigger and stronger. As greater heights were planned, the need arose for a form of construction that would permit thinner walls through the entire height of the building. In the late 1800’s architects began to use cast iron with masonry. This was followed by the cage construction, in which the iron frame supported the floors and the masonry walls bore their own weight. Englishmen, Henry Bessemer invented the first process for mass-producing steel inexpensively, essential to the development of skyscrapers. The next step was the