History of Skyscraper Day

A day for the tallest things humans build

Skyscraper Day is observed annually on September 3^rd. It is a time to celebrate one of the most influential inventions in human history. Tall multi-story buildings have enabled people to live more closely together, saving land from development, and turning cities into artificial mountain ranges, each with its own distinct look.

Two technologies that made height possible

Dwellings of many floor levels have existed at least since medieval times, in places like Yemen and central Europe. But it was not until the mid-nineteenth century that technology enabled buildings to rise higher and higher. Two developments in particular made the modern skyscraper possible:

• The elevator — without safe, fast vertical transport, no one would willingly climb thirty floors of stairs.
• The skeletal frame — first of iron, then of steel and concrete, freeing walls from carrying weight and letting buildings climb.

New York and Chicago were the original laboratories for skyscraper technology, as the masonry frame was replaced by lighter and stronger skyscraper skeletons.

Why September 3^rd?

The 3^rd of September was chosen for Skyscraper Day to commemorate the first master architect of high-rise buildings, Louis Sullivan, who was born in Boston on 3 September 1856.

Sullivan worked in Chicago with William LeBaron Jenney, engineer of the first steel-framed 10-story building, the now-demolished Home Insurance Building.

Sullivan created his own uniquely American brand of Art Nouveau. His buildings achieved a rare elegance, combining simple forms with elaborate organic ornamentation, following his famous principle that “form follows function”. Sullivan was the revered mentor of Frank Lloyd Wright, widely considered the greatest architect of the 20^th century.

From Chicago to the world

What began in the steel-framed offices of late-19^th-century Chicago has spread across every continent. Today there are more than 177,000 tall buildings documented in over 10,000 cities — from the Burj Khalifa in Dubai to the densely packed forests of towers in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

Skyscraper Day is a chance to look up, photograph, sketch, share, and learn. Here are some ideas to mark the day →