Overview
Main description
A Spectacular Blend of Photographs, Facts, Anecdotes, and Personal Stories that Tell How the World's Greatest City Was Built!
Without its vast infrastructure, New York would not have been able to forge five boroughs into one city, welcome millions of newcomers, and become the financial and cultural capital of the world.
Covering the period from 1909-2009, To Build New York is an informative, engaging account of the who, what, when, where, how, and why of New York's infrastructure--together with stories of the people who did all the work.
This superb urban chronicle offers readers a revealing inside look at the building of New York's roads and highways, bridges and tunnels, the subway system and rail lines, airports and aqueducts, skyscrapers, electric power grid, sewage treatment plants, and other facilities.
Written in a vivid and highly entertaining style, To Build New York features:
- An authoritative account of New York City's physical development from 1909 to 2009
- More than 100 illustrations, including archival never-before-published photographs and details
- Numerous facts, anecdotes, and behind-the-scenes information about how and why certain elements of the infrastructure came to exist
- Fascinating sidebars that describe the technologies devised for the construction projects in each area of infrastructure
- A Foreword by Michael R. Bloomberg
Panoramic in scope yet filled with hundreds of amazing particulars, To Build New York is the story of the creation of the world's greatest city--told from the point of view of the inventive, hardworking people who built it.
Table of contents
Foreword
Introduction
Bridges
Water & Sewers
Mass Transit
Roads
TIMELINE: 1909-1929
1909-1929: BUILDING A GREATER NEW YORK
Digging: Going Down
Tunneling: Going Sideways
TIMELINE: 1930-1945
1930-1945: IN DIFFICULT TIMES, BUILDING THE FOUNDATION FOR THE MODERN METROPOLIS
Foundations: Pushing Up
"Dewatering" in an Island City
TIMELINE: 1946-1962
1946-1962: CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
Underpinning
TIMELINE: 1963-1979
1963-1979: URBAN CRISIS
Concrete
TIMELINE: 1980-2009
1980-2009: REVIVAL
Asphalt Paving
GCA Members
GCA Presidents
Photo Credits
Notes
GCA Memorabilia
Index
Author comments
The General Contractors Association of New York, established in 1909, provides comprehensive
answers and definitive solutions to the questions and
concerns of New York City's heavy construction contractors
and engineers.
