The Tall Building's Effect on Scale, Perspective
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “The Tall Building's Effect on Scale, Perspective” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked October 12, 2026.
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Myron Goldsmith is recognized as one of the great innovators of tall-building structure, stemming from his training in architecture and engineering. Although he was responsible for many notable projects during his long career at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Goldsmith is perhaps best known for his 1953 master’s thesis, “The Tall Building: The Effects of Scale,” in which he argued for new structural principles for very tall buildings. He proposed a range of new types, including a concrete “super frame” and a series of diagonally gridded steel-tube structures. This research led to the groundbreaking trussed tube of the SOM John Hancock Center (1965) and underpins many spectacular tall buildings, from Norman Foster’s Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (1986) to the China Central Television Headquarters by OMA (2010).
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Details
- Accession number
- 1982.652
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — © the artist or rights holder
