Skyscrapers+in+the+1930s

Skyscrapers in the 1930s included the race for height, or in other words, race for the tallest skyscraper in the world. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower in Manhattan was the tallest from 1913 until 1930 when the Chrysler Building was built, also in New York. The Chrysler Building stood at 1,046 feet and 77 stories tall. It wasn't the inferior for long though, with the construction of the Empire State Building in 1930 as well. The Empire State Building 1,250 and 102 stories tall. It would remain the tallest in the world throughout the Depression. Many people viewed skyscrapers as something that determined a city's prosperity as well. So essentially, if a city had the tallest skyscraper, they were the new best city. If a city had smaller type buildings they were more than often looked down upon. Many cities attempted to construct better and taller skyscrapers than other cities because they wanted to make their city seem bigger and better than the other, in order to attract more people. This is what started the race for height. Skyscrapers during the Depression also showed that modernism was starting to become more frequent among cities. The construction of more and more skyscrapers gave a different look to many cities- a more modern look. This modern look of cities in America attracted many immigrants from Europe, Mexico and Canada as well. Skyscrapers were essentially the base of modernism. Many innovations for architecture were also visible during the 1930s. Art was beginning to become present in many new modern buildings and skyscrapers, such as the Chrysler Building in New York City. Architecture began to become the definition of many modern cities. Many cities were starting to become rated base on their skyline. Skyscrapers also became a symbol of urban civilization. Thus, many cities tried to add more skyscrapers to their skylines in order to attract more people. Clearly, architecture and the construction of skyscrapers started to show up much more often in American cities throughout the 1930.