The Skyward Trend of Thought – the Metaphysics of The American Skyscraper (Paper)

Is the skyscraper really just a manifestation of America's pragmatic values? Thomas van Leeuwen rejects the functionalist view of skyscraper production put forth by Sigfried Giedion, Nikolaus Pevsner, and others, and instead sets up a very different argument - one that resurrects the powerful aesthetic and ideological values of the mythical skyscraper.

Thomas A.P. van Leeuwen is Professor of Architectural History at the University of Leyden.