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6-8 (middle school)
architecture, local history
approximately 3 class periods
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The 1,250-foot Empire State Building, built in 1931, is New York City's tallest icon. It appears on countless T-shirts and NYC souvenirs and is featured in many movies set in Manhattan. In this activity, students will use a variety of local resources (public library, city hall, historical society) to find pictures and information about the tallest structures in your town during four different periods (such as 1900, 1930, 1960, and 1990). By comparing the pictures, students will gather information about your town's values, major industries, and so on. Students will then take a photo or make an illustration of your town or city's "downtown" area today.
Begin by having your students read the articles "Reaching or the Sky," "Higher and Higher," and "The Empire State Building."
Review some of the key events and attitudes of the "Skyscraper Wars" that occurred in New York City from the 1920s to the early 1930s.
You may wish to discuss questions such as:
- When historians talk about the creation of many new buildings in the 20s and 30s, why do they refer to this time as the "skyscraper wars"?
- What were some of the factors that fueled the "skyscraper wars"?
- Although the Empire State Building is no longer the tallest structure in New York City, why do you think it remained the city's most famous icon?
- Before class, use library books or the Internet to gather pictures of the following famous New York City buildings: the Chrysler Building, the Bank of Manhattan Building, and the Empire State Building. Ask students to discuss their observations about these buildings' architecture.
- Divide the class into four large groups. On four small pieces of paper, write these four years -- 1900, 1930, 1960, 1990. Then ask a student from each of the four groups to select one of the pieces of paper. Each group's task is to locate a photograph or illustration of the tallest building in your town during their selected time period. (Note: There is a chance that the tallest building from one time period might also be the tallest in another.)
- Students within the four large groups break into small groups and track down a photo or illustration of the tallest building in their selected time period, as well as information about the creation of that particular building. One small group can contact the local historical society, another can contact the city hall, one can look on the Internet, and still another can go to the local public library. Afterward, the small groups share what they found and select one image and write down a few interesting facts about it. Next to the photo, they should put a piece of paper indicating the year in which the building was erected.
- All four large groups gather together to compare the four pictures. Discuss: "What do these four images tell about your town's history, values, major industries, priorities, etc.?"
Find the Tallest
By examining the tallest building in a town or city, we can often learn much about that place's industries, values, and priorities. In this activity, by comparing images of tall buildings in your area during four time periods, you have learned some of the ways that your town has grown and changed during the last century.
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Early New York