220 likes | 539 Views
The History & Economics of Skyscrapers in Manhattan. Jason Barr. Steel Cage Construction. Caissons. NY Times, 1904. The Crystal Palace Exhibition Bryant Park, 1854. The Grid Plan, 1811. Elevation and Bedrock Depth Relative to Sea Level, meters. Total Annual Skyscraper Height in Manhattan
E N D
The History & Economics of Skyscrapers in Manhattan Jason Barr
Caissons NY Times, 1904
Home Insurance Building (1885), Chicago 10 stories of 138 feet (42 m)
The Tower Building (1889):New York’s first skyscraper 11 Stories
Period I: 1889-1916 • Cass Gilbert: The skyscraper “is a machine that makes the land pay” (ER, 1900). • F.W. Woolworth: “I do not want a mere building, I want something that will be an ornament to the city'' (NY Times, 1910).
Pulitzer’s World Building, 1890 20 stories, 94 meters
NY Times Building (1904)25, stories, 111 meters The Flatiron (1902), 22, 87 meters
Woolworth Building (1913) 57 stories, 241 meters.
Equitable Building (1915) 40 Stories, 164 meters
Empire State and Chrysler 1931, 381 meters 1930, 319 meters
Economic Height • What is the height that provides the maximum return? • Too tall: • Increasing additional costs for: • Wind bracing • Foundation preparation. • Elevators eat up too much rentable space • Too many floors cause over-supply of space, reducing rents.
Height vs. Ego • “The claim that the skyscraper is an economic fallacy is without foundation. Given the high land values…the skyscraper is not only the most efficient, but the only economic utilization of certain strategic plots.“ Clark and Kingston (1930), p. 146. • “Rascob wanted a building that would literally and figuratively put Walter Chrysler’s building in the shade.” Tauranac (1995) p. 130.
Comparisons • CK Fictional (1929) 1.86 acres: 63 stories maximum return. • 33.9 floors per acre. • Empire State Building (1931):2.1 acres. 102 stories. • 48.6 stories per acre. • Chrysler Building (1930): 0.86 acres. 77 stories • 89.4 stories per acre.
The End. Thank you!