The Skyward Trend of Thought: The Metaphysics of the American Skyscraper [Paperback]

Thomas A. P. van Leeuwen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 1990

Is the skyscraper really just a manifestation of America's pragmatic values? Thomas van Leeuwen rejects the functionalist view of skyscraper production put forth by Sigfried Giedion, Nikolaus Pevsner, and others, and instead sets up a very different argument - one that resurrects the powerful aesthetic and ideological values of the mythical skyscraper.

Thomas A.P. van Leeuwen is Professor of Architectural History at the University of Leyden.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Skyward Trend of Thought is one of those texts which, however disputable, will leave the subject permanently altered. Historical and critical writing on skyscrapers can never be the same again."
—Reyner Banham



"A fascinating document ... van Leeuwen takes up all the metaphors for tall buildings: the skyscraper as Tower of Babel, as analog to man, as frozen fountain, as secular cathedral. His knowledge of American architectural history is astonishing, and his European perspective is refreshingly free of certain fashionable American biases."
—Michele Herman, Metropolis

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (July 19, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262720167
• ISBN-13: 978-0262720168
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,125,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A provocative perspective on why we build skyscrapers, November 24, 2001

By 

saskatoonguy (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Skyward Trend of Thought: The Metaphysics of the American Skyscraper (Paperback)

According to van Leeuwen, it's a myth that the skyscraper was a response to high land values. Instead, he argues that they are essentially the cathedrals of our era - monuments to individual men, or to organizations, or simply monuments to civilization itself. The prose is turgid and constitutes a test of the reader's powers of concentration, but this is balanced by the numerous b&w drawings of building exteriors, averaging more than one per page. The renderings of artist Hugh Ferriss receive particular attention.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful essay on the philosophy of the skyscraper, December 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Skyward Trend of Thought: The Metaphysics of the American Skyscraper (Paperback)

Van Leeuwen describes the early evolution of the skyscraper in the US and the sometimes hysterical forces driving buildings higher. A great read, van Leeuwen has a wonderful ability to interpret meaning and importance of skyscrapers to the American landscape. His research is quite good

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing collection of theories about the skyscraper, July 20, 2004

By 

Martijn13Maart1970 (Husavik Iceland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Skyward Trend of Thought: The Metaphysics of the American Skyscraper (Paperback)

This book is probably the best available, when it comes about theories about how and why the skyscraper was made in the first place. Very actual after 9/11.

Buy it, and read it, you will not be disappointed. It hosts amazing stories about the record that the Chrysler building made, about all kinds of ways to symbolize the skyscraper, from a frozen fountain to...read it yourself and enjoy!