The Empire State Building: the Making of a Landmark - Softcover

Tauranac, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312148240 ISBN 13: 9780312148249

Publisher: St Martin's Press, 1997

Synopsis

Pulished by St Martins Griffin, New York, Pictorial card covered book giving a definitive history of the development and construction of the Empire State Building during the 1920s and 30s. One of the worlds most famous buildings the story of its creation is both fascinating and convoluted. Two blocks of several pages of B&W photographs, drawings and plans. 383pp. 1996 1st paperback edition. Size 9.25in tall x 6in wide.

About this title

Review:

"Although the Empire State Building is no longer the tallest building in the world (or even in New York City), it remains mythical, iconic. This entrancing book is at once an appreciation of the structure as a practical work of art and an exploration of the building's role in the city and the world." New Yorker"

"Tauranac knows the architecture and buildings of New York as few do. He takes us through the story of the skyscraper as a form, the zoning that emerged to control the tall buildings, the real-estate boom of the twenties, the history of the site, the careers of John J. Raskob and Al Smith and the architects and builders who designed and erected the building, and the building's subsequent career." New York Times Book Review"

"When the 1250-foot Empire State Building opened in the Depression year of 1931, it was the world's tallest building. Today, it retains a special place in the heart of New Yorkers. Tauranac has written an informative and exciting biography of Manhattan s most famous building." Publishers Weekly"

"A building that is a movie star unto itself deserves a writer of such contagious enthusiasm as Tauranac. This book is a fascinating, self-propelling, and definitive history of the building." Booklist"

"The Empire State Building is a methodically researched, richly informative account of the raising of the world's most famous skyscraper." Chicago Tribune"

"Tauranac combines fine scholarship with a storyteller's gift for entertainment. The Empire State Building is a basic reference on twentieth-century architecture and urban development." Journal of American History"

"Tauranac's book is a vivid characterization of the skyscraper as romantic phenomenon. As such it demonstrates unfailingly why the Empire State Building has yet to relinquish its grip on the imagination." Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians"

"The Empire State Building is enduringly essential like the building itself." Mike Wallace, coauthor of Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898"

"Although the Empire State Building is no longer the tallest building in the world (or even in New York City), it remains mythical, iconic. This entrancing book is at once an appreciation of the structure as a practical work of art and an exploration of the building's role in the city and the world." New Yorker"

"Tauranac knows the architecture and buildings of New York as few do. He takes us through the story of the skyscraper as a form, the zoning that emerged to control the tall buildings, the real-estate boom of the twenties, the history of the site, the careers of John J. Raskob and Al Smith and the architects and builders who designed and erected the building, and the building's subsequent career." New York Times Book Review"

About the Author:

John Tauranac is the author of Elegant New York and Essential New York and a freelance writer. A graduate of Columbia and New York Universities, Tauranac teaches at NYU's School of Continuing Education. He lectures widely and has been a guest curator at the Museum of the City of New York. Wearing another hat, Tauranac designed the award-winning subway map in 1979 that is still in use by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and he still designs maps. He lives with his wife, Jane Bevans, and their daughter, Maggie, on Manhattan's Upper West Side and in West Cornwall, Connecticut.

About this edition

• Publisher: St Martin's Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0312148240
• ISBN 13: 9780312148249
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 383