Wall Street, Not on Solid Ground
Source: [1] Jason Barr. “Twin Peaks.” Taken from “Uncanney Valley: The Real Reason There Are No Skyscrapers in the Middle of Mahhattan.” Matt Chaban. Observer. January 17, 2012. https://observer.com/2012/01/uncanny-valley-the-real-reason-there-are-no-skyscrapers-in-the-middle-of-manhattan/
Author: Lowell Clare
Publication date: 10 January 2022
Manhattan is home to one of America’s most iconic skylines; it is made up of an array of buildings clustered around nodes of higher densities that trace complex geometries at perennially rising elevations. Manhattan has historically been an especially vital breeding ground for skyscrapers, both to accommodate rising workplace densities and showcase a vibrant economy. [2] A defining feature of the Manhattan skyline are the concentrations of skyscrapers in Downtown and Midtown with a “valley” of lower buildings between them. According to skyscraper economist Jason Barr, skyscrapers in their individual construction and group arrangement both reflect the economy at the time of their construction drive future growth. Skyscrapers cost about a billion dollars to construct and employ roughly 135,000 people from start to finish.[3] Beyond their individual economic value they collectively articulate the wholly distinct entity of the urban skyline. [4] In Barr’s work, in order for a building to be a skyscraper it must be over 100 meters tall. [5]
It is commonly understood that the skyline formation can be attributed to the superficial topography of Manhattan’s bedrock. The conventional assumption was that skyscrapers needed to be anchored to bedrock, therefore skyscrapers were only constructed in areas where the bedrock was relatively close to the surface. The relationship between skyscraper heights and depths to bedrock were first promoted by geologist and educator Christopher J. Schuberth in The Geology of New York City (1968). However, Professor Jason Barr, an economist with a specialization in skyscrapers, refers to Schuberth’s eggcorn as the bedrock myth; Barr is the first to effectively dismantle it in his research.[6] Scholarly works and public resources continue proliferate the idea that lower Manhattan and Midtown sit above relatively shallow bedrock while in the span between Wall Street and Midtown; “the bedrock is buried deeply beneath sediments, it is far more difficult to build tall buildings with structural integrity, since such buildings have to be anchored on solid bedrock, not on sediments and glacial till.” [7] It is worth pointing out here that even though Manhattan’s bedrock is sometimes buried deeply beneath soil, the rock itself is metamorphic, making it very firm and well suited to anchor large buildings.[8] Jason Barr has shown in his research that the siting of skyscrapers has more to do with real estate value, cultural agglomeration and desire rather than a relationship to bedrock depth.[9] In an interview with Curbed: NY, Barr was given the opportunity to respond to the bedrock myth and stated,
There is no evidence that the bedrock valley was a reason why no skyscrapers [were built] north of downtown. The real reason is because the neighborhoods north of Chambers Street were where the historical tenement districts and factories were located. These were the neighborhoods that were of little interest to high-rise developers because the rents there were too low to justify building tall.” [10]
Barr’s work establishes that Manhattan urban development is not bound by depth to bedrock, developers will put skyscrapers where zoning permits and there is a demonstrating desire for them. It also shows that the tastes and practices of Manhattan real estate are so potent that they haven’t been believably elided with geological parameters.
[12] Image taken from James Leynes/Corbis via Getty Images. Taken From “New York City’s Evolving Skyline” Stefanos Chen. New York Times. June 5, 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/realestate/new-york-citys-evolving-skyline.html
This graphic, “Population Density across Manhattan in 1900” illustrates Barr’s findings regarding the relationship between tenements and skyscrapers.[11] The area of highest density- show here in red, roughly corresponds to the area without skyscrapers between Wall Street and Midtown.
[1] Jason Barr. “Twin Peaks.” Taken from “Uncanney Valley: The Real Reason There Are No Skyscrapers in the Middle of Mahhattan.” Matt Chaban. Observer. January 17, 2012. https://observer.com/2012/01/uncanny-valley-the-real-reason-there-are-no-skyscrapers-in-the-middle-of-manhattan/
[2] Skyscraper and Skylines, 2. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c936/a02ec0e6f1bac65e0197a078ffacfb46cf4c.pdf
[3] COVID 19 and the Market for Skyscrapers.” Jason Barr. Skynomics Blog. November 19, 2020. https://buildingtheskyline.org/category/skynomics-blog/
[4] Skyscrapers and Skylines: New York and Chicago, 1885-2007. Jason Barr. Rutgers University Newark Working Paper #2011-001. October 2011. “The Bedrock Myth and the Rise of Midtown Manhattan (Part I) J.Barr. Skynomics Blog. July 29, 2019. https://buildingtheskyline.org/bedrock-and-midtown-i/. “The Bedrock Myth and the Rise of Midtown Manhattan (PartII) Jason Barr. Skynomics Blog. August 6, 2019. https://buildingtheskyline.org/bedrock-and-midtown-ii/
[5]Skyscrapers and the Skyline: Manhattan 1895-2004. Real Estate Economics. 2010 V38 pp.567-697. Jason Barr. p587. http://www.jasonmbarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Barr_REE.pdf
[6] “Uncanney Valley: The Real Reason There Are No Skyscrapers in the Middle of Mahhattan.” Matt Chaban. Observer. January 17, 2012. https://observer.com/2012/01/uncanny-valley-the-real-reason-there-are-no-skyscrapers-in-the-middle-of-manhattan/
[7] “The Manhattan Skyline: Why are there no tall skyscrapers between Midtown and Downtown?” Dr. Marcia Anderson. The EPA Blog. July, 14, 2015. https://blog.epa.gov/2015/07/14/the-manhattan-skyline-why-are-there-no-tall-skyscrapers-between-midtown-and-downtown/
[8]“Rock Scrambling and Bedrock: A Geohistory of Manhattan.” Mia Hull. Geohistories: Co-Evolutin of Earth and Life/GEOS 101 at Williams College.October 22, 2016. https://sites.williams.edu/geos101/uncategorized/rock-scrambling-and-bedrock-a-geohistory-of-manhattan/
[9] See “Bedrock Depth and the Formation of the Manhattan Skyline, 1890-1950.” J.Barr, T.Tassier and R. Trendafilov. Journal of Economics History, 71(4), 1060-1077. 2011. Also “Skyscrapers and the SKyline: Manhattan, 1895-2004.” J.Barr. Real Estate Economics. 38(3), 567-597. 2010.
[10] “5 mythos about New York Skyscrapers finally debunked.” Alissa Walker. Curbed: NY. October 6, 2016. https://ny.curbed.com/2016/10/6/13189862/nyc-skyscrapers-myths-jason-barr
[11]“Population Density across Manhatan in 1900.” J. Barr. Skynomics Blog. April 12, 2016. Source, “First Report of the Tenement House Department of the City of New York (1903). https://buildingtheskyline.org/population-density-manhattan-1900/
[12] Image taken from James Leynes/Corbis via Getty Images. Taken From “New York City’s Evolving Skyline” Stefanos Chen. New York Times. June 5, 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/realestate/new-york-citys-evolving-skyline.html
Lowell Clare, Summer Research Analyst
Lowell Clare’s past work has centered on the relevance of discrepancies between perceived and actual urban histories to strategic development. Prior research includes: visualizations and designs for the National Mall 20, 50 and 100 years into the future and the ways architectural preservation of London’s historic pubs glosses over their history. She has continued to develop those skills in the disciplines of urbanism, adaptive reuse, and landscape architecture. At Unbuilt Labs, she is constructing flood scenarios and examining the vulnerabilities of New York City’s existing buildings in the face of climate crisis. Moving forward she would like to bring her expertise to the business of the strategic design of resilient cities.
Rhode Island School of Design, M.L.A. Landscape Architecture ‘19
New York University and English Heritage, M.A. Historical and Sustainable Architecture ‘11
Bard College, B.A. Art History, ‘09