Overview
Main description
Issued by the General Contractors Association of New York (GCA), this attractive centennial volume chronicles 20th-century Big Apple infrastructure construction beginning in 1909, when the GCA was formed. Presenting historic photographs (more than 100, some never before published), time lines, contemporary news, and anecdotes, the book moves chronologically from the openings of the Queensboro and Manhattan bridges to improvements in mass transit, roads and tunnels, water and sewers, urban renewal, and rehabilitation. Its appealing visual format strikes a favorable balance between information excess and readability. A GCA directory, which names founding companies and modern offshoots, and photos of past association presidents and memorabilia take up about 20 pages at the end. This informative and well-designed publication, particularly of value for historical ready-reference facts, photos, and in-the-trenches perspectives, is recommended for academic and larger public libraries.
Russell T. Clement
Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, IL
Table of contents
Foreword
Introduction
Bridges
Water & Sewers
Mass Transit
Roads
TIMELINE: 1909-1929
1909-1929: BUILDING A GREATER NEW YORK
Digging: Going Down
Tunneling: Going Sideways
TIMELINE: 1930-1945
1930-1945: IN DIFFICULT TIMES, BUILDING THE FOUNDATION FOR THE MODERN METROPOLIS
Foundations: Pushing Up
"Dewatering" in an Island City
TIMELINE: 1946-1962
1946-1962: CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
Underpinning
TIMELINE: 1963-1979
1963-1979: URBAN CRISIS
Concrete
TIMELINE: 1980-2009
1980-2009: REVIVAL
Asphalt Paving
GCA Members
GCA Presidents
Photo Credits
Notes
GCA Memorabilia
Index
Author comments
The General Contractors Association of New York, established in 1909, provides comprehensive
answers and definitive solutions to the questions and
concerns of New York City's heavy construction contractors
and engineers.
