Welcome to Umair's
Empire State Building Page
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| Empire State Building: Scraping The Sky When completed in 1931, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world. The building, standing 1,245 feet high, was constructed during the Great Depression and became a symbol of confidence in America. It has remained a symbol of American greatness even though taller American buildings now exist. The construction of such tall buildings, called skyscrapers, was made possible by the use of an interior skeleton of steel beams that support the building's weight. Previously, steel frames had only been used to construct bridges. Steel-frame construction of tall buildings was used successfully in Chicago, beginning in 1884, with the 10-story Home Life Insurance Building. Then, Chicago architect Louis Sullivan used steel beams in a way that stressed the vertical nature of his buildings, making anyone looking at the building aware of its height. Adding to the growth of American skyscrapers was the invention of the elevator in 1854 by Elisha Otis. The elevator was first used in a building in 1868, where it lifted people five stories. Today, the skyscraper is a fixture of major cities around the world, symbolizing prosperity and growth. |
