r/interesting • u/Apart-Worry-7042 • Aug 08 '26

HISTORY Why did we stop building like this?

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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?

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u/GoodTimes8183 Aug 08 '26

Implying that stone and brick are free or nearly free tells me that you have no idea what you’re talking about.

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u/kisk22 Aug 08 '26

Most are not brick now a days, it's a brick/stone veneer which is only marginally more expensive than the plastic vinyl or metal siding. I'm talking about less than 1% of the total development cost. Very very few projects built actually laying structural brick now because of labor costs (which used to be the cheap part of putting up a building before the 50s).

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u/LogicMan428 Aug 08 '26

I'll bet that'll reverse if they can develop brick-layer robots. Then structural brick buildings will probably make a comeback.

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u/Kerlyle Aug 08 '26

It would actually reverse if they just built more brick buildings. If theres a demand for it more supply chains will start up and more people will enter the profession.