New York City has two skyscraper hotspots: the southern tip of Manhattan, Downtown, which is the business center of the city and the entire United States, and the 40th-50th Streets area adjacent to the southern end of Central Park. The rest of Manhattan and New York City itself are simply filled with tall buildings.

There are varying opinions on what constitutes a skyscraper. At one time, the standard was based on a height of 100 meters. Now, most classifications start at 150. There are also supertall (over 300 meters) and megatall (over 600 meters) skyscrapers. However, it seems this classification will soon have to be revised: the tallest building in the world today (Burj Khalifa, Dubai) rises above the 1 kilometer mark, and projects for skyscrapers 2 and even 4 kilometers high are being considered.

For a long time, the construction of high-rise buildings was hampered not so much by structural imperfections as by the lack of elevators: climbing above the sixth floor on foot is not easy. With the advent of elevators, first hydraulic, then electric, the number of floors in buildings began to increase rapidly.

The buildings soared even more decisively after a steel frame was adopted as the foundation of their construction—steel is dozens of times stronger than concrete and stone. Incidentally, it was this very frame that caused such monstrous destruction during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001: the steel cables running from the bottom up through both buildings deformed from the intense heat generated by the fire, causing the collapse of the twin buildings. Had it not been for this, the disaster might not have been so severe.

Skyscraper Race

The famous skyscraper race of the 30s is associated with the names of Craig Severance and Van Eelen. These two architects were longtime partners, but later separated and had a falling out. Almost simultaneously, they received commissions to build buildings that would have become the tallest not only in New York but in the world. The tallest building at the time was the Woolworth Building (57 stories, 241 meters), built before World War I in 1913. The new benchmark was set at 70 stories.

Severance was aware of Van Eelen's plans and, after construction had already begun, modified the design of his building at 40 Wall Street (now known under its current owner as the Trump Building – 282,5 m, 70 stories) so that it would be just 2 feet (60 cm) taller than his competitor's. But Severance's fame as the builder of the tallest skyscraper lasted only a few days: it turned out that Van Eelen was prepared for his former partner's intrigues, and a 38-meter spire was secretly being assembled inside his tower. It was erected on the roof, making his building, commissioned by Chrysler, the tallest building in the world (320 m, 77 stories).

However, the creators and owners of the Chrysler Building were not to bask in the glow of global architectural fame for long. Just eleven months later, the Empire State Building (443,2 meters, 103 stories, built at a rate of four stories per week) was completed, remaining the tallest building in New York City and the world for many years, until the 1970s. At the top of the Empire State Building is a very popular observation deck, offering breathtaking views of the city. However, most New Yorkers agree that the best way to view the city from above is from the observation deck at Rockefeller Center: it has fewer floors, but offers better views, no tedious lines, and a significantly cheaper entrance fee.

In 1973, the title of tallest skyscraper passed to the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center (526 meters including the antenna, 110 stories), the same buildings that were destroyed almost forty years later in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Until their destruction, the towers remained the tallest buildings in New York City, although taller structures soon emerged around the world. The World Trade Center towers were not rebuilt after the attack; a majestic and touching memorial was erected in their place. One World Trade Center, which is currently New York's tallest skyscraper, was built nearby.

Skyscrapers were once a purely American feature, confined to New York and Chicago. Today, the center of skyscraper construction has shifted to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. And the largest number of skyscrapers in the world (over 1000 compared to 677 in the United States) has been built in China.

Soviet Russia also attempted to participate in the global race for tall buildings: in 1937, the Palace of Soviets, intended to rise to a then-record 495 meters, was laid on the site of the destroyed Cathedral of Christ the Savior. However, the building was never completed due to the outbreak of war and the subsequent difficulties of economic recovery. Instead, seven Stalinist skyscrapers were erected, the largest of which, Moscow State University, stands at 240 meters, a remarkable achievement even today.

Incidentally, the figurative and "delicious" Russian word "neboskreb" (near skyscraper) is a dead ringer for the English word "skyscraper." But in the early Soviet era, another word, also quite Russian and figurative, was tried: "tucherez" (cloud-cutter). But it never caught on. And if the Bolsheviks had built the Palace of Soviets, perhaps this word, too, would have enriched the world vocabulary—remember "sputnik"? But history, as we know, abhors the subjunctive mood.

And, as it turns out, skyscrapers aren't our path. I completely agree with this. Why do we so obsessively strive upward when we have endless space all around us? Buildings should be proportionate to people and not overwhelm them.

In short, we don't need "that kind of hockey." But the American high-altitude wonders are certainly worth a look.

Pavel Vereshchagin