Empire State
Building New York - Skyscrapers
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By
Mary
Bellis
Englishmen,
Henry
Bessemer (1813-1898) invented first process for mass-producing steel
inexpensively, essential to the development of skyscrapers. An American,
William Kelly, had held a patent for "a system of air blowing the carbon
out of pig iron" another method of steel production. Bankruptcy forced
Kelly to sell his patent to Henry Bessemer, who had been working on a similar
process for making steel. Bessemer patented "a decarbonization process,
utilizing a blast of air" in 1855. Modern steel is made using technology
based on Henry Bessemer's process.
 Flatiron
Building - Skyscaper
The "invention" of the skyscraper
lies with George A. Fuller (1851-1900). George Fuller worked on solving
the problems of the "load bearing capacities" of tall buildings. George
Fuller built the Tacoma Building in 1889, the first structure ever built
where the outside walls did not carrying the weight of the building. Using
Bessemer steel beams, Fuller created steel cages that supported all the
weight in tall buildings or skyscrapers. The Flatiron
Building was one of New York City's first skyscrapers (Broadway and
23rd), built in 1902 by Fuller's building company. Daniel H. Burnham was
the chief architect.
 Woolworth
Building - Skyscaper
First Use of the Term Skyscraper
The term "skyscraper" was first used
during the 1880s, shortly after the first 10 to 20 story buildings were
built in the United States. Combining several innovations: steel structure,
elevators, central heating, electrical plumbing pumps and the
telephone,
skyscrapers came to dominate American skylines at the turn of the century.
The world's tallest building when it opened in 1913, architect Cass Gilbert's
793-foot Woolworth Building was considered a leading example of tall building
design.
Continue
with >>> Henry
Bessemer
|
| 