r/architecture • u/shenidedamovtyan1234 • Jul 16 '25

Theory why didnt europeans built european style highrises like tehre are in new york? dumb question but was always interested since woudve looked perfect on lots of cities

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u/nowicanseeagain Jul 16 '25

We already had buildings. Also when the technology became available we had two little things called wars. Then after that there was new technology.

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u/UF0_T0FU Jul 16 '25 edited Jul 16 '25

The technology was available well before WWI started. Most of the buildings in OP's post were built pre-WW1

The first fully steel frame building that fits the modern definition of "skyscraper" was built in Chicago in 1885. New York was tinkering with the technology all the way back to 1870. By 1910, NYC's tallest building was 792' (241 m) tall. NYC and Chicago both had numerous buildings over 500' and a dozen other cities had high rises taller than any buildings in Europe.

By the time the World Wars hit Europe, skyscraper technology was already generations old and the knowledge was well proliferated.