Building the Empire State (Norton Book for Architects and Designers (Hardcover)) - Hardcover

Willis, Carol

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393730301 ISBN 13: 9780393730302

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1998

Synopsis

Constructed in eleven months, the 1250-foot Empire State Building, the world's tallest skyscraper from 1931 to 1971, was a marvel of modern engineering. The frame rose more than a story a day; no comparable building since has matched that rate of ascent. The construction of the Empire State Building was orchestrated by general contractors Starrett Brothers and Eken, premier "skyline builders" of the 1920s. They scheduled the delivery of materials and the construction and recorded daily the number of workers by trade. Compiled from these records, an in-house notebook documented the construction process. Meticulously typed on graph paper and illustrated with construction photographs, this unique document combines a professional specificity of detail with a charming rhapsody to the firm's crowning achievement.

About this title

Review:

[A] remarkable document.--Nicholas Adams

These notes combine the dry facts with sensitive observations....[A] welcome contribution to the history of high-rise building technology.--Anat Geva, Ph.D.

[F]illed with marvelous arcana....[b]ut it also concerns itself with serious controversies...

[P]ackaged in a handsome volume, annotated intelligently and accompanied by two excellent essays and original site photographs...[I]nstructive, interesting...--Karl Sabbagh

Synopsis:

Constructed in 11 months, the Empire State Building, the world's tallest skyscraper for 40 years, was a marvel of modern engineering. In this book, a rediscovered notebook from the 1930s charts the construction of this landmark building. The construction was orchestrated by Starrett Brothers and Eken, premier "skyline" builders of the 1920s. Compiled from their records, this in-house notebook, typed on graph paper and illustrated with photographs, combines a professional specificity of detail with a rhapsody to the firm's crowning achievement.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0393730301
• ISBN 13: 9780393730302
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192