Form Follows Finance: Skyscrapers and Skylines in New York and Chicago

by Carol Willis

Book Overview

Although fundamental factors of program, technology, and economics make tall buildings everywhere take similar forms, skyscrapers in New York and Chicago developed very differently in the first half of the twentieth century. In contrast to standard histories that counterpose the design philosophies of the Chicago and New York "schools," Willis shows how market formulas produced characteristic forms in each city"vernaculars of capitalism"that resulted...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1568980442
• ISBN13: 9781568980447
• Release Date: December 1997
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.8" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Very Interesting

Perhaps a little to dry for someone not totally engaged in the subject matter, but overall this book is extremely interesting and full of helpfull information to anyone interested in urban design, the cities of New York or Chicago, or architecture.

In Contrast: Chicago and New York

This book is great and well written...This book gives a comprehensive look at the developement of the skyscraper between the two major cities that shaped the world of high-rise architecture. Each chapter provides a detailed look of the different factors and events that led to the design of skyscrapers that gave the amazing profile of Chicago and New York as we see it today. This book is a must for architects, architectural historians, preservationist!