The Changing City Pgs

The Changing City Even with their many problems, cities came to stand for all that was good in industrial America. Besides factories, stores, and tenements, cities had parks, theaters, schools, zoos, railroad stations, and tall office buildings.

William Jenney Before 1885 buildings could not be taller than four or five stories. The bricks on the bottom could not support the weight. In the 1880s an engineer named William Jenney found a way to build taller buildings.

Skyscrapers William Jenney used steel frames to hold up buildings the way a skeleton holds up a body. In 1885 he built the ten- story Home Insurance Company Building in Chicago. It was the world’s first tall, steel-frame building.

Skyscrapers

Flatiron Building New York 1910 Construction of the Flatiron Building was completed in The building has 22 stories and was designed by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham.

Other Inventions The first electric elevator was placed in a New York building in Street cars were used to transport people into cities. The first street cars were pulled by horses.

Cable Cars Cable cars were invented by Andrew Hallidie in The cars were attached to a steam powered cable running in a slot in the street. Fifteen cities installed cable cars. Chicago had 710 cable cars.

Street Cars Streetcars were invented in the 1880s by Frank Sprague. His streetcar ran along tracks in the street but was powered by electricity.

Cities Grow As more tracks were laid, people moved farther and farther from the center of the city. They could now live away from the inner city with its many problems.