Architectural Tops
Ellen Mahoney
The development of the sky- scraper is an American story that combines architectural history, economic power, and students in my high-school ceramic reations for the tops of buildings.
Researching Skyscrapers
class to develop their own handbuilt
The assignment began with a presen-
tation on the historical development
The combination of the engineering
of the skyscraper in the United States,
technological achievement. Each city advancements and the development of from the first ten-story buildings in
in the United States can be identified business identities that came together Chicago in the 1890s to the sculptural
by the profile of its buildings.
to create these architectural forms are forms of today. Each student then
The design of the tops of sky-
a fascinating history of science, archi- picked an existing skyscraper to study.
scrapers was the inspiration for the
tecture, and commerce.
Using the Internet and resource books
