How did such beautiful infrastructure get built from 1900-1950?

[Anonymous]

I can't imagine anything like Union Station or Grand Central in NYC ever getting built again. So depressing.

Did they just not care about costs back then? It wasn't all FDR's New Deal.

[Anonymous]

We didn’t have all the entitlement programs we have now. And, government was much smaller. Other things took priority and people worked hard to take care of themselves and didn’t rely on government.

[Anonymous]

Oh FFS.

Congress spent $5.9 million on Union Station in 1903. That's worth about $150 million today. We spend far more on public projects. So if there is a reason they don't look as good, entitlements is not it.

[Anonymous]

back in the 1950s, the country wasn't full of selfish, me-first people. we actually had, you know, a society and work ethic that put country first.

today, it's all about me, me, me. the decline of the American dream started January 20, 1981.

[Anonymous]

Robert Moses!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine anything like Union Station or Grand Central in NYC ever getting built again. So depressing.

Did they just not care about costs back then? It wasn't all FDR's New Deal.

If you are talking about elegant stone work, you don't see it because:
(1) modern construction materials are more cost effective and allow you to build higher, and (2) stone cutting is a dying art.

[Anonymous]

Union Station was built by a consortium of private railroad companies, with some government funding. There were no requirements to pay a minimum wage or ensure safe working conditions for laborers, many of whom lived in Swampoodle before being ousted to make room for the station itself. The NY Central Railroad likewise constructed Grand Central Terminal as the Pennsylvania Railroad constructed Penn Station. Cool story about entitlement programs, bro.

[Anonymous]

Profit margins have greatly expanded at the expense of wages, cost of materials, etc. Land cost was a much smaller percentage of the building cost back in 1900. In other words, all the efficiency gains in real estate are going to capital.

A "ho hum" building back then was built of steel, brick, masonry, and took many skilled craftsmen to custom design and create every ornamental feature.

Now? Land is expensive and developers want to build as cheap as possible. As much as possible is mass produced and standardized offsite. Buildings now are also much less maintenance intensive compared to the gorgeous buildings of 1900.

Capital demands its outsized returns.

[Anonymous]

Lawyers. They make EVERYTHING more expensive, and take longer.


You know how many lawyers it takes to construct a huge public-funded project?

I don't. I don't know if anyone does.... but it's gotta be in the dozens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Profit margins have greatly expanded at the expense of wages, cost of materials, etc. Land cost was a much smaller percentage of the building cost back in 1900. In other words, all the efficiency gains in real estate are going to capital.

A "ho hum" building back then was built of steel, brick, masonry, and took many skilled craftsmen to custom design and create every ornamental feature.

Now? Land is expensive and developers want to build as cheap as possible. As much as possible is mass produced and standardized offsite. Buildings now are also much less maintenance intensive compared to the gorgeous buildings of 1900.

Capital demands its outsized returns.

Interesting. What about, for example, the disgusting Penn Station in NYC. It's something The Times has written about needing to be replaced for years. So, no real estate transaction necessary, as it would be built on same space. But it's never gone anywhere. It's just impossible to get anything impressive built. Everyone seems to just kick the can down the street, running the clock out until retirement.

[Anonymous]

I know the metro has problems now, but I'm still amazed that it ever got built in the first place. They may have cut corners when they dug the tunnels by skipping the third track, but nowadays, it would never have been built.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We didn’t have all the entitlement programs we have now. And, government was much smaller. Other things took priority and people worked hard to take care of themselves and didn’t rely on government.

Wow. Your ideological eyeglasses are as thick as coke bottles. You must be blind without them.

[Anonymous]

Pretty sure NYS gov is asking for federal intervention tomget cash for Penn Station rehab.

Not gonna happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine anything like Union Station or Grand Central in NYC ever getting built again. So depressing.

Did they just not care about costs back then? It wasn't all FDR's New Deal.

Hmm. I've seen really massive, impressive airports. Then there is the Calatrave designed transit center in NY. And some incredible new highway bridges.

I think there are two things going on here. 1. Passenger railroads have not been a big deal since 1950 (that MAY be changing in the north east corridor) 2. The favored architectural style has changed - folks who love the old RR stations probably are not big fans of Saarinen (sp?) designed Dulles, or Calatrava designed transit center. Or for that matter the "brutalist" DC metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Profit margins have greatly expanded at the expense of wages, cost of materials, etc. Land cost was a much smaller percentage of the building cost back in 1900. In other words, all the efficiency gains in real estate are going to capital.

A "ho hum" building back then was built of steel, brick, masonry, and took many skilled craftsmen to custom design and create every ornamental feature.

Now? Land is expensive and developers want to build as cheap as possible. As much as possible is mass produced and standardized offsite. Buildings now are also much less maintenance intensive compared to the gorgeous buildings of 1900.

Capital demands its outsized returns.

Interesting. What about, for example, the disgusting Penn Station in NYC. It's something The Times has written about needing to be replaced for years. So, no real estate transaction necessary, as it would be built on same space. But it's never gone anywhere. It's just impossible to get anything impressive built. Everyone seems to just kick the can down the street, running the clock out until retirement.

The plan is to build it in the old Post Office there, which is not going to be that easy, I think. At least one transit expert thinks it is over designed.