MultiStories

55 Antique Skyscrapers & the Business Tycoons Who Built Them

By: Mark Houser

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Skyscrapers are an American original.

More than 100 years ago, towering marvels like New York's Flatiron Building thrilled the public and transformed cities across the country. Now take a tour of the best of these elegant landmarks still standing today in 31 U.S. and 5 international cities.

Packed with colorful tales of the powerful executives and self-made millionaires who commissioned the country's first skyscrapers, MultiStories also traces the emergence of modern corporations in banking, media, transportation, insurance, manufacturing, entertainment, and other industries that fed the explosive growth of American cities at the start of the 20th century. Learn the surprising and inspiring stories of Gilded Age rags-to-riches risk-takers who invested in these so-called "machines that make the land pay" — soaring structures that proclaimed their owners’ influence and remain as legacies of a fascinating, forgotten past.

Award-winning writer and speaker Mark Houser weaves extensive research with observations gleaned touring these ostentatious old high-rises — many now updated as luxury condos or boutique hotels. Entertaining and informative case studies and historic sketches of each building are illustrated with century-old postcards from a time when these antique skyscrapers were dazzling new tourist attractions.

"Well conceived and beautifully written — just the right combination of history, architecture, and human interest stories to engage and satisfy a broad audience of readers."

Andrew Masich, CEO & President, Sen. John Heinz History Center