U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for May 3

WASHINGTON, May 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

MONDAY, MAY 3: FIRST SKYSCRAPER

Profile America -- Monday, May 3rd.  A radical new building began to take shape in Chicago this month in 1884 -- at 10 stories high, it was destined to be America's first skyscraper.  The  building was designed by engineer William Jenney.  His design would literally change the shape of the nation's cities.  Jenney's design was a building using a metal frame for support, with walls hung like curtains on the frame.  Previously, the walls supported the building, limiting the height that could be safely reached.  Soon, skyscrapers using Jenney's concept sprang up across the country and today dominate city skylines.  Each year, the building construction industry in the U.S. erects nearly $263 billion worth of nonresidential buildings.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:

Chase's Calendar of Events 2010, p. 252

2002 Economic Census, NAICS 2362

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau