Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City
by Neal Bascomb
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The Roaring Twenties in New York was a time of exuberant ambition, free-flowing optimism, an explosion of artistic expression in the age of Prohibition. New York was the city that embodied the spirit and strength of a newly powerful America.nbsp; In 1924, in the vibrant heart of Manhattan, a fierce rivalry was born.nbsp; Two architects, William Van Alen and Craig Severance (former friends and successful partners, but now bitter adversaries), set out to imprint their individual marks on the show more greatest canvas in the world--the rapidly evolving skyline of New York City.nbsp; Each man desired to build the city’s tallest building, or ‘skyscraper.’ Each would stop at nothing to outdo his rival. Van Alen was a creative genius who envisioned a bold, contemporary building that would move beyond the tired architecture of the previous century.nbsp; By a stroke of good fortune he found a larger-than-life patron in automobile magnate Walter Chrysler, and they set out to build the legendary Chrysler building.nbsp; Severance, by comparison, was a brilliant businessman, and he tapped his circle of downtown, old-money investors to begin construction on the Manhattan Company Building at 40 Wall Street.nbsp; From ground-breaking to bricklaying, Van Alen and Severance fought a cunning duel of wills. Each man was forced to revamp his architectural design in an attempt to push higher, to overcome his rival in mid-construction, as the structures rose, floor by floor, in record time.nbsp; Yet just as the battle was underway, a third party entered the arena and announced plans to build an even larger building.nbsp; This project would be overseen by one of Chrysler’s principal rivals--a representative of the General Motors group--and the building ultimately became known as The Empire State Building. Infused with narrative thrills and perfectly rendered historical and engineering detail, Higher brings to life a sensational episode in American history. Author Neal Bascomb interweaves characters such as Al Smith and Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt, leading up to an astonishing climax that illustrates one of the most ingenious (and secret) architectural achievements of all time. show lessTags
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An entertaining look at the race for King of the Skies in New York in the late 20s and early 30s. From the backers to the architects to the men working on the buildings; a complete look at this era.
I was really looking forward to reading this, and the end result left me pretty disappointed. Providing insight into the era where building the "tallest building in the world" was something multiple builders could be pursuing at the same time, the book proved interesting. Secret deals, creating building techniques and outright deception were used to try to claim the highest building title from others while still under construction. The ploy used by the Chrysler Building was particularly entertaining.
But what was missing from this analysis was the impact of the depression. The WPA wasn't even mentioned - although I understand it was a prime factor in the building of the Empire State Building - and the death of the race to the sky was show more only implied. I felt so much detail was put into so many other less critical areas, that it was unfortunate that he didn't give that same attention to what had to have had an impact on the construction industry for more than a decade. show less
But what was missing from this analysis was the impact of the depression. The WPA wasn't even mentioned - although I understand it was a prime factor in the building of the Empire State Building - and the death of the race to the sky was show more only implied. I felt so much detail was put into so many other less critical areas, that it was unfortunate that he didn't give that same attention to what had to have had an impact on the construction industry for more than a decade. show less
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Author Information
13+ Works 3,978 Members
Neal Bascomb was born in Denver, Colorado in 1971. Neal graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with dual degrees in Economics and English Literature. Neal's first book was Higher (Doubleday) which was chosen for a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Award. His other works include Perfect Mile (Houghton Mifflin), Red Mutiny (Houghton show more Mifflin), and Hunting Eichmann (Houghton Mifflin). In 2014 his title, The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi, made The New York Times Best Seller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- William Van Alen; Craig Severance; Walter Chrysler; Alfred E. Smith; Franklin Delano Roosevelt; William F. Lamb
- Important places
- New York, New York, USA
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Art & Design, History, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 720.483 — Arts & recreation Architecture Architecture Special Topics Buildings by shape Tall buildings
- LCC
- NA6232 .B37 — Fine Arts 2599.5-2599.9 Architectural criticism Architecture Special classes of buildings Classed by use Public buildings
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 235
- Popularity
- 137,761
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.86)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 3
