Ever since living in Manhattan in the 1980s, I have fond memories of the vintage postcards depicting the emerging metropolis of the early 20^th century. I love the visual of the anticipation of a city growing vertically at an increasingly rapid pace. Skyscrapers were like chess pieces added to the Commissioners’’ Plan of 1811 (plan that set in place Manhattan’s grid between Houston and 155^th Street) allowing the skyline to become one of the wonders of the 20^th century and the envy of the modern world. Each skyscraper surpassed the other as they were decorated with increasingly elaborate and often pastiche styles, while integrating new technologies and patents of the nascent construction industry.