THE ARTS OF REFORM AND PERSUASION, 1885-1945

Bookcase, Skyscraper Bookcase, c. 1926
Designed by Paul Theodore Frankl (American, b. Austria, 1886-1958)
Retailed by Frankl Galleries, New York, c. 1926-1930
Maple, lacquer, paint
87.661.11.1

As skyscrapers became increasingly important as a symbol of modern life - a symbol of civic pride and corporate identity - their image was transferred into the home. The shape of this bookcase was inspired by the buildings constructed in Manhattan after the 1916 Zoning Ordinance. Fearing that high-rise buildings would create an oppressive, dark environment, this regulation required that the upper stories of skyscrapers be terraced and set back to allow sun and fresh air to filter down to the pedestrians at street level, giving the 1930s skyscraper its unique silhouette.

The outline of this bookcase is characterized by straight lines and geometric forms. Frankl saw this design as a space-saving device, which would be functional in the modern urban home. He later explained in 1927:
"In my own creations for the American home, I have kept within the architectural spirit of our time. The straight line is the most important feature. They call my bookcases 'Skyscraper'-to which I blushingly bow. Why not skyscraper furniture? After all, space is as much at a premium within the home as it is outside of it. Why have a bookcase take up half your floor in squat, right formality when your bookcase can rise toward the ceiling in vertical, pyramidic beauty with an inviting informality that should go with books people actually read."

Frankl's work was considered thoroughly modern and purely American, "as New Yorkish as Fifth Avenue itself." In his book New Dimensions (1928), Frankl hailed the skyscraper as "a distinctive and noble creation...a monument of towering engineering and business enterprise."


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