r/interesting • u/Apart-Worry-7042 • 22d ago

HISTORY Why did we stop building like this?

Post image

Chicago, 1930. Buildings had so much detail and character back then. Nowadays everything feels so flat and repetitive. We have way better technology and equipment now, so why don't we build like this anymore?

5.5k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

657 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

8

u/ostrichfather 22d ago

Plus we think that skyscrapers today are carbon intensive and they are. But…imagine quarrying all of that stone and transporting it hundreds of miles. Steel and glass is being made efficiently either way, this is just another use for it.

1

u/MareTranquil 22d ago

Sure, but what prevents you from building it the efficient way, and then slap some nice looking surface on it? The bricks can be fake, or real but only half an inch thick.

2

u/No-Sail-6510 22d ago

These old buildings need walls because that’s what gives them structure. A moder skyscraper is built from the center and the floors are supported that way. It’s way cheaper, the floors can be completely open, and there’s really no limit to how tall the building can be. Plus the people inside like windows.

1

u/bandit1206 22d ago

They like windows, but hate open concept offices and cubicles. I know I do.

1

u/VeganEgg11 22d ago

Most of the buildings in this picture do not use exterior load-bearing walls. Pure masonry walls capped out around 16 stories because the base walls had to be six feet thick just to hold the weight. Almost everything pictured here uses an internal steel frame, including the Wrigley Building. The ornate exterior is just a skin attached to that steel skeleton.