Urbanization and Culture of the 1800s

Urbanization and Culture

Skyscrapers:

* Skyscrapers are tall steel framed building

* Cities had to build up, not out because they were running out of room.

* Manhattan soon had the most skyscrapers of anywhere in the world

* The Home Insurance Building was the first skyscraper. It had 10 stories and was built in Chicago in 1885

* Population growth and demand of housing raised the price of land creating an incentive to build upwards rather than outwards

Louis Sullivan

* "Form should follow function"

* Father of skyscrapers

* New designs featuring simple lines and spacious windows using new, durable plate glass

* "What people are within the buildings express without"

* Contributed to the design of skyscrapers more than anyone else of his time

Social Class

* Urban Poverty: could not afford homes; slept in the streets; built shacks in back alleys

* Working Class: lived in tenements usually the size of a single room apartment; no servants; husbands and wives had to work and sometime children; average yearly income $445

* The Family Economy: a division of the working class; white native born men earned higher wages and their families made up the family economy; women worked in domestic services; no workers compensation; elderly people lived with their family usually grown children; 64% of families relied on more than one wage earner

* Middle Class: owned their own homes and quality clothing; included doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects, and teachers; women rarely worked; women's clubs were very popular; most families had 1 live-in servant; they lived away from the city to escape crime and pollution

* High Society: could afford elaborate mansions and servants; clothing was elaborate and expensive; women never worked; men owned or managed large companies

Urbanization

* America grew from 10 million citizens to 30 million citizens in 1870's

* Cities offered more and better paying jobs

* Cities also offered bright lights, running water, modern plumbing, and attractions (such as theaters, libraries, and museums)

* In 1873 San Francisco became the first city with public transportation with cable cars

* In 1887 Richmond, Virginia offered a more efficient means of mass transportation