SKYSCRAPERS

This informative history of modern skyscrapers may not attract many young readers. Beginning with the pyramids, Severance (Einstein, 1999, etc.) traces the history of tall buildings worldwide with particular emphasis on the US. He links technical advances, inventions, economic conditions, and social forces. For example, three factors were necessary for the development of multistory buildings: Otis invented the safety-brake, steam-powered elevator in the 1850s; plumbing technology permitted installation of bathrooms in upper floors; and the waterfront area of New York City needed more office space. Short biographical information about the lives and accomplishments of the inventors and the builders put the buildings in a historical context. Severance describes many of the problems related to these huge buildings. At the Sears Tower in Chicago, it took half an hour for some people to get from street level to their offices. The Hancock Tower in Boston had glass windows and doors pop out in high winds. Cost-cutting at the Citicorp building in New York City caused a major reconstruction to avoid building collapse in a hurricane. St. Peter’s church built into the Citicorp building created major design problems. Severance describes the innovative construction techniques to overcome the problems but unfortunately neglects to mention the important work of sculptor Louise Nevelson in the interior design of the church. A bibliography and index are helpful. Words are descriptive, but interesting illustrations would have brought the text alive. Black-and-white exterior images of buildings do not do it. (Nonfiction. 10-12)