19th centuryReputable sourceWell documented
Iron, Steel, and the Skyscraper
On the timeline · around 19th century · The Modern Age
What happened
The Industrial Revolution gave architects powerful new materials: mass-produced iron, then steel, and large sheets of glass. Vast iron-and-glass structures like London's Crystal Palace (1851) and, later, steel-framed skyscrapers rising in Chicago from the 1880s, showed that buildings no longer needed thick load-bearing walls — a steel skeleton could carry the weight.
Why it matters
Iron and steel construction shattered the ancient limits of stone and brick, letting buildings soar higher than ever before. The skyscraper reshaped the modern city skyline and made possible the dense vertical cities of today.
Sources
- The J. Paul Getty Trust. What Is Modern Architecture, Anyway? · Reputable source
Related timelines
- The Industrial Revolution → — The new materials of the industrial age