Review: The Structure of Skyscrapers in America, 1871–1900: Their History and Preservation

Book Review| September 01 2023 Review: The Structure of Skyscrapers in America, 1871–1900: Their History and Preservation Donald Friedman The Structure of Skyscrapers in America, 1871–1900: Their History and Preservation Springfield, Ill.: Association for Preservation Technology International, 2020, 450 pp., 539 illus. $65 (paper), ISBN 9780998634715 Tyler S. Sprague Tyler S. Sprague University of Washington Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (2023) 82 (3): 344–345. https://doi.org/10.1525/jsah.2023.82.3.344 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Tyler S. Sprague; Review: The Structure of Skyscrapers in America, 1871–1900: Their History and Preservation. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 1 September 2023; 82 (3): 344–345. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/jsah.2023.82.3.344 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentJournal of the Society of Architectural Historians Search The significance of American skyscrapers needs little introduction. Tall urban buildings constructed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries have come to symbolize the prosperity and growth of major American cities in both academic and public discourse. Skyscrapers—anointed with their own mythical, poetically ambiguous term—embody both the whimsical fascination of a city in the sky and the technical significance of (somehow) actually achieving a version of that reality. As a building typology, the skyscraper offers endless scholarly opportunities to explore the complexity of the American built environment. Donald Friedman’s recent book focuses on a singular, defining aspect of skyscrapers: their structure. As the very definition of a skyscraper relies on the achievement of significant height, this focus is essential to the world of skyscraper scholarship. Focusing on structure—the primary load-resisting, material assembly—foregrounds materials, geometries, and construction processes in a historical narrative. It includes discussion of weight and wind, capacity... You do not currently have access to this content.