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Introduction of steel columns in US buildings, 1862–1920

• Author: S. E. Wermiel ¹
• Source: Proceedings of the ICE - Engineering History and Heritage, Volume 162, Issue 1, pages 19 –28

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This paper traces the early history of steel columns in US buildings including the development of steel sections and examples of buildings in which they were used. A common misconception is addressed: that the frames of early skeleton-frame buildings in the USA were made entirely of steel. In fact, some of the first skeleton frames contained no steel at all. In the 1890s, the era of US pioneer skyscrapers, the part of a building's frame least likely to be made of steel was the columns. At this time, steel columns had to be fabricated from various rolled shapes and the extra labour involved was a factor in their high cost. There were many forms of steel columns and professional opinion differed regarding which sections offered the most strength and best connections at the least cost. Many contingent factors encouraged designers to use steel columns or choose alternatives, or to select one section rather than another. A key point is that structural steel was not a precondition for the development of skeleton-frame construction. Moreover, the diverse ways designers used materials show how experimental frame design was in the early days of skeleton-frame construction. Eventually, by the second decade of the twentieth century, all-steel frames became the norm for tall buildings.

• Keywords: structures & design/columns; buildings
• Document Type: Research Article
• DOI: 10.1680/ehh2009.162.1.19
• Affiliations: 1: Historic Preservation ConsultantJamaica Plain, Massachusetts, USA