Free Webinar: The Rise of the American Skyscraper

New York City is the city of skyscrapers, and this lecture explores the historical origins of the skyscraper – from the Flatiron Building, one of the first skyscrapers in New York City, to buildings completed just before World War I. It explains the engineering and economic forces, which helped shape, this particularly American form of architecture, and the stylish ornament that gave character to these “cathedrals of commerce.” This lecture affords both first-time visitors and life-long residents of New York City a new way of looking at these important buildings.

Dr. Seth Gopin is a man of a great many interests and talents. During his 30 years at Rutgers University, he was a gifted lecturer in Art History and a popular dean of academic affairs. He also served as the Director of Global Studies, which made him Rutgers’ ambassador to the world.

After his retirement in 2007, he worked for the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile as editor of their North American Newsletter. The French prime minister knighted him for his groundbreaking work in popularizing the history of the city of Paris to Americans. In recent years, he has renewed his interest in architecture and urban planning. He loves the intersection of art, history, and culture, as is evident in the many lectures he has given aboard Cunard ships and in his most recent book, Skyscrapers of New York.