Skyscraper Gothic: Medieval Style and Modernist Buildings, published by University of Virginia Press in 2017, explores a striking contradiction in architectural history: the fusion of Gothic forms with the modern skyscraper. While previous scholarship often dismissed or overlooked these designs as antimodernist, this collection of essays reexamines their significance. Drawing from archival materials and period texts, the authors investigate how Gothic elements—flying buttresses, spires, and ornate tracery—were used to express modernity, ambition, and spiritual aspiration in urban America.
Focusing on notable early 20th-century buildings like the Woolworth Building, Tribune Tower, and American Radiator Building, the contributors analyze how architects and clients embraced medieval aesthetics to shape the skyline. This richly illustrated volume includes new research and perspectives on a style once sidelined, offering insight into the cultural, urbanistic, and social meanings behind these iconic structures.
Contributors include: Lisa Reilly, Kevin Murphy, Gail Fenske, Joanna Merwood-Salisbury, Katherine M. Solomonson, Carrie Albee, Anke Koeth, and Christine G. O’Malley.