Meticulously accurate line drawings and fascinating text explain construction above and below ground, including excavating subway lines and building bridges and skyscrapers. Hundreds of illustrations reveal intricate details of construction techniques.

Meticulously accurate line drawings and fascinating text trace Manhattan's growth from a tiny Dutch outpost to the commercial, financial, and cultural heart of the world. This book explains construction above and below ground, including the excavation of subway lines and the building of bridges and skyscrapers. Hundreds of illustrations reveal intricate details of construction techniques.Author and illustrator Donald A. Mackay traces Manhattan's history from its first wood, stone, and brick houses to its famous modern structures, including the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, and the World Trade Center. Along with historical background, he presents clear explanations and illustrations of the skilled labor and methods behind the island's tunnels, bridges, and train lines. Mackay describes who does what at a construction site, the assembly of a tower crane, and the construction of skyscrapers, from the foundations to the floor-by-floor elevations, along with other amazing procedures that are all part of a day's work in building the big city.

PrefaceIntroductionIn the BeginningThe Manhattan IndiansAnd Then the Dutch CameWood, Stone, and BrickFort Amsterdam / Stuyvesant Surrenders1664: New Amsterdam Is Now New YorkColonial New York: 1664-1783Mechanicks, Slaves, and ApprenticesCapital of the New Nation: 1785-17901811: A Plan for GrowthPopulation Pressures: 1811-1850The Cast-Iron BuildingThe "Safety Hoister" Raises the RoofThe Wonder of the ImaginationThe Skill of the EngineerThe Iron Skeleton / "An Iron Bridge Truss Stood on End"1850 to 1900The Flatiron Building: 1901The Woolworth Building: 1913Boom and Bust: 1900-1930The Empire State Building: 1930-1931The Riveter: $1.92 Plus Half a Cent an HourThe DerrickCourage . . . Skill . . . and PreparationMidtown Manhattan . . . Rockefeller Center: 1931Out of the Depression: 1930-1965Downtown Manhattan . . . the World Trade Center: 1966-1971Keeping the Hudson River OutA Problem in Levitation / Carrying the WeightA City Within the CityZoning: An Attempt to Set Rational LimitsThe Architect: Concept and Detail / The City's Vital ServicesThe Busy UndergroundThe SubwayWater Fit to DrinkElectricity . . . Lifeline of the CitySteamGasTelephone / And Empire City SubwaySewageGoing . . . Going . . . . . . GoneTest Borings / And Drilling RockThe Power of Compressed AirThe ExcavatorsDynamite!Stand Clear! / Hard HatsWho Does What at a Construction Site / The SurveyorShoring Up the Outer WallsThe Foundation / Digging in Lower ManhattanBull's Liver and Other ProblemsAs the City BuildsConcreteThe Reinforced Concrete SkyscraperFrom Liquid Mass to Hardened SolidSalamandersThe Big CranesTower CranesAssembling a Tower Crane / Raising the Crane's HeightPrivate Places / Public SpacesSteelSteel / And IronworkersLook Out Below! / Spud WrenchesFrom Beam / To BeamThe Welder / The Floors Take ShapeThe Outer SkinTrades and UnionsUp and Down . . . at 20 Miles an HourSkyscraper StressAcrophobia . . . Fear of HeightsThe Sounds of the CityTopping OutAcknowledgmentsSources