Skyscraper

The Politics and Power of Building New York City in the Twentieth Century

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Skyscraper

By: Benjamin Flowers

Narrated by: Ernest "Ernie" Sprance

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About this listen

In Skyscraper: The Politics and Power of Building New York City in the Twentieth Century, Benjamin Flowers explores the role of culture and ideology in shaping the construction of skyscrapers and the way wealth and power have operated to reshape the urban landscape. Flowers narrates this modern tale by closely examining the creation and reception of three significant sites: the Empire State Building, the Seagram Building, and the World Trade Center. He demonstrates how architects and their clients employed a diverse range of modernist styles to engage with and influence broader cultural themes in American society: immigration, the Cold War, and the rise of American global capitalism.

Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2010. The book is published by University of Pennsylvania Press.

Americas

Architecture

United States

Critic reviews

"In this both sweeping and specific book, Benjamin Flowers describes the Empire State Building, the Seagram Building, and the World Trade Center towers, explaining why developers undertook them and how personal ambitions influenced their designs." ( Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians)

Most relevant

Occasionally very academic in approach but otherwise excellent look at the history of New York and the three buildings highlighted.

Excellent

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