Since the beginning of time every civilization ...
Since the beginning of time every civilization has strived to build towering structures to show off power or wealth. They were designed as monuments to honor leaders or religious beliefs and to stretch the boundaries of what was architecturally possible. Some of the most dramatic and recognizable structures of history are the pyramids of Egypt, the Coliseum in Rome, and the gothic cathedrals of France. The modern day equivalents of these monuments are skyscrapers. Skyscrapers not only helped modernize architecture; they also changed the way America and other societies live.
The Desire to Build Big
Human beings have never been solitary creatures at any point in man’s brief existence on earth. Our ancestors lived, hunted, gathered food, defended themselves, and traveled in groups. The oldest societies banded together to make the simplest tools to survive. They used stones for hammers and projectiles, and sticks for clubs, spears, levers, or props. The instruments they developed continually became more efficient. Improvements in tools allowed for improvements in mankind’s ability to build larger structures. This increase in building prowess facilitated the construction of buildings that were much more than simple shelter.
Ancient empires such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans devoted their lives to constructing the perfect structure. Although their agendas vary, the legacies left behind are essentially the same. From the Roman coliseums to the ancient Egyptian pyramids the battle for the sky has been ongoing sense the beginning of time.
Invention from Necessity
Prior to the civil war, immigration to the U.S. primarily consisted of Northern and Western European countries, such as Great Britain, Germany, Scandinavia, with smaller groups of immigrants from China and Mexico settling in California and the far west. Many of these immigrants wanted to escape the deteriorating economic conditions, war, religious, and ethnic persecution of their countries so they fled to the urban areas of America in droves.
After the civil war the expansion of industries in America drastically changed the way our society functioned. America was becoming predominately urban; the cities not only grew in population, but also in size. This growth led to a strain on the countries natural boundaries. By the late 1880’s the available land for new developments could not keep up with demand; the only alterative was to build up. Although the desperate need for space hindered American growth as well as the economy, there were many technological setbacks that prevented us from coming up with an acceptable solution.
Innovations
Two innovations that led to the skyscraper were the modern elevator and a new method of building construction that used steel beams in a grid like fashion. Rudimentary elevators of different designs have been used for centuries, and by the mid 19th century steam-powered elevators were used to move ...
