Higher

A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City

By: Neal Bascomb

Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson

The Roaring Twenties in New York was a time of exuberant ambition, free-flowing optimism, an explosion of artistic expression in the age of Prohibition. New York was the city that embodied the spirit and strength of a newly powerful America.

In 1924, in the vibrant heart of Manhattan, a fierce rivalry was born. Two architects, William Van Alen and Craig Severance (former friends and successful partners, but now bitter adversaries), set out to imprint their individual marks on the greatest canvas in the world—the rapidly evolving skyline of New York City. Each man desired to build the city’s tallest building, or "skyscraper." Each would stop at nothing to outdo his rival.

Van Alen was a creative genius who envisioned a bold, contemporary building that would move beyond the tired architecture of the previous century. By a stroke of good fortune he found a larger-than-life patron in automobile magnate Walter Chrysler, and they set out to build the legendary Chrysler building. Severance, by comparison, was a brilliant businessman, and he tapped his circle of downtown, old-money investors to begin construction on the Manhattan Company Building at 40 Wall Street.

From ground-breaking to bricklaying, Van Alen and Severance fought a cunning duel of wills. Each man was forced to revamp his architectural design in an attempt to push higher, to overcome his rival in mid-construction, as the structures rose, floor by floor, in record time. Yet just as the battle was underway, a third party entered the arena and announced plans to build an even larger building. This project would be overseen by one of Chrysler’s principal rivals—a representative of the General Motors group—and the building ultimately became known as The Empire State Building.

Infused with narrative thrills and perfectly rendered historical and engineering detail, Higher brings to life a sensational episode in American history. Author Neal Bascomb interweaves characters such as Al Smith and Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt, leading up to an astonishing climax that illustrates one of the most ingenious (and secret) architectural achievements of all time.

"Higher is delicious history with a human face—a must-read primer on how THE city came to be."—Les Standiford, author of The Last Train to Paradise

©2003 Neal Bascomb (P)2003 Recorded Books

Little Did I Know

This was a terrific background to two New York skycrapers often taken for granted. My husband, an architect, loved the book. It's easy to imagine the city and the buildings if you've visited the area. The author does a great job of setting the times, and gives you a feel for the personalities involved. Very interesting.

Magisterial

What a gem! I adored this book. The buildings, despite their concomitant stories of tragedy, represented a spirit. And the author, in turn, captured their stories wonderfully.

Outstanding Audio Book!!!

This was a really great read on many different levels. First of all, the history of the race to build the highest skyscraper in New York (the focus of the book) was extremely interesting. Second, the history of the limiting factors to building height over the ages was also quite insightful. Third, the backgrounds of the men involved and the stories of their lives, both before and after the events in this book, was also worth the price of admission.

The epilogue, which covers the time from the completion of the Empire State Building to almost the present time, was a great strength of the book. Learning the financial woes, the ups and downs of the buildings throughout the 20th century and even the disasters that struck (literally) the buildings after their construction was fascinating.

Finally, the effect of the great depression on the history of the buildings and the men involved left you wondering what would have happened if the race had taken place in different economic times.

Kudos to the narrator, who also did a great job (even when character voices were employed using different nationalities and accents). Liked the book so well, that I may give paperback copies for gifts at Christmas.

Well worth the time invested - you won't be disappointed!

Fennacy

Thought this was to be just another intreting book, and ended up loving the whole thing. Great listen and full of histrory. Seeing through the eyes of the Architect and Building Owners offers a multi-viewed perspective. Great.

Riveting (excuse the pun)!!

This book is wonderful! The story of these few men, their fabulous skyscrapers, the rush to build the tallest building, the detailed descriptions of building a highrise in the 1920's all together is better than most fiction I've read. I loved this book. (I happened on "Higher" after having read "Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin" and "The Great Gatsby" which are about the same era. All of this has now led me to "The Fountainhead" which has architecture as one of its themes -just suggestions for anyone interested in a very electric time and place in America).