American Architecture: Scale, Speed, and Disposability

Kate Wagner, architecture critic for The Nation, examines the defining characteristics of American architecture: scale, speed, and spectacle. She traces its evolution from the birth of the skyscraper in Chicago to the postwar suburbs and postmodernism. Key innovations include Elisha Otis's elevator safety device (1861) and Willis Carrier's air conditioning, which removed site constraints. The ethos of disposability, fueled by abundant natural resources, led to short-lived buildings (average residential age 46 years) and the gutting of cities like Detroit. Postmodernism, epitomized by Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, and Steven Izenour's 'Learning From Las Vegas' (1972), embraced irony and spectacle. Wagner highlights emerging firms like BLDUS and CO Adaptive that reuse industrial materials, addressing the urgent question of what to do with existing buildings. The article is part of The Nation's special issue 'America at 250'.