The Manhattan skyline is one of the great wonders of the modern world. But how and why did it form? Much has been written about the city's architecture and its general history, but little work has explored the economic forces that created the skyline. In Building the Skyline, Jason Barr chronicles the economic history of the Manhattan skyline. In the process, he debunks some widely held misconceptions about the city's history. Starting with Manhattan's natural and geological history, Barr moves on to how these formations influenced early land use and the development of neighborhoods, including the dense tenement neighborhoods of Five Points and the Lower East Side, and how these early decisions eventually impacted the location of skyscrapers built during the Skyscraper Revolution at the end of the 19th century. Barr then explores the economic history of skyscrapers and the skyline, investigating the reasons for their heights, frequencies, locations, and shapes. He discusses why skyscrapers emerged downtown and why they appeared three miles to the north in midtown-but not in between the two areas. Contrary to popular belief, this was not due to the depths of Manhattan's bedrock, nor the presence of Grand Central Station. Rather, midtown's emergence was a response to the economic and demographic forces that were taking place north of 14th Street after the Civil War. Building the Skyline also presents the first rigorous investigation of the causes of the building boom during the Roaring Twenties. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the boom was largely a rational response to the economic growth of the nation and city. The last chapter investigates the value of Manhattan Island and the relationship between skyscrapers and land prices. Finally, an Epilogue offers policy recommendations for a resilient and robust future skyline.

New York City Skyscrapers celebrates the numerous awe-inspiring buildings that have made New York the skyscraper capital of the world. This book traces the history of New York's tallest structures from the late 19th century, when church spires ruled the skyline, through the 20th century, when a succession of amazing buildings soared to new heights. From the Flatiron and Woolworth Buildings to the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, the skyscrapers of New York have long captured the imagination of people around the world.

This is a unique history that covers the complete life of the Twin Towers: the sky-high hopes during their planning and construction, the years during which they stood at the pinnacle of the Manhattan skyline, their symbolic meaning to the city, the nation, and the world-and, in a new chapter written for this edition, their heartbreaking demise on September 11, 2001. The New York Times bestseller-now with photographs and a new updated chapter.

Updated to include major new buildings of the last five years, this volume is a celebration of the buildings of New York City and their history with over 600 color photos.

"New York's original residential high-rise"--Back cover.

Think of the movies, think of any photographic image of the New York skyline and there will undoubtedly be water towers; features that are as much a recognisable part of the city as the yellow taxi cabs and the street signs. Ronnie Farley has documented these New York monoliths for over 20 years from every angle and time of day; a beautifully photographed and original collection.