Autobiography of a Skyscraper: And the Story of Those Who Built It - Hardcover

by Francis Greenburger (Author), Rebecca Paley (Author)

A highly original inside look at how vision becomes reality in constructing the modern urban landscape.

Building a skyscraper requires more than steel and concrete--it takes a wide array of people, each with their particular skills. In Autobiography of a Skyscraper, legendary developer Francis Greenburger offers an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the construction of Chicago's 1000M tower, describing the way almost 1,000 people--from concrete workers to concierges, architects to investors--transformed an empty lot into a 74-story landmark.

"Real estate isn't about property; it's about people," Greenburger reflects in this book that, throughout, underscores his point. This is the story of an Italian immigrant who bet his family's entire inheritance on a hole in the ground; of window installers dancing on narrow ledges 800 feet above Michigan Avenue; of a chief concierge managing a community of 700 residents across 80,000 square feet of amenities; and of the safety manager who "babysits grown men" to keep them safe hundreds of feet in the air. These and dozens more stories turn the spotlight on the extraordinary people who brought 1000M to life and keep it running today.

The story unfolds with cinematic scope--helicopter shoots for marketing renderings, midnight crane installations, the delicate negotiation of moving a 5,000-pound marble sculpture through a lobby before the revolving doors are installed. Yet it never loses sight of the human scale: the leasing agent explaining why closet space matters more than square footage, the chief engineer worried about scuff marks on hand-applied Venetian plaster, the resident finding inner peace playing Bach on the communal grand piano.

Autobiography of a Skyscraper arrives at a moment when cities worldwide are grappling with questions of growth, community, and what it means to build for the future. Through the lens of one remarkable building, Greenburger and Paley have created both a paean to the collaborative spirit of urban creation and an intimate portrait of how, against all odds, a vision can become reality.

Author Biography

Francis Greenburger is an American real estate developer, literary agent, author, philanthropist, and activist. As the founder, CEO, and Chairman of Time Equities Inc., he oversees a multibillion-dollar real estate firm that owns, manages, and develops a portfolio of properties in the U.S., Caribbean, Canada, and Europe. Francis is also the chairman of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, a literary agency founded by his father, representing authors such as Dan Brown and Brad Thor. A long-standing supporter of the arts, he established Art Omi International Arts Center, a nonprofit residency and sculpture park in upstate New York for international visual artists, writers, dancers, musicians, and architects. Most recently, he founded The Greenburger Justice Center, which advocates for reforms to the criminal and civil justice and mental health systems.

Rebecca Paley is a New York Times number one best-selling author of memoirs and other books--including her first collaboration with Francis, Risk Game. Her work has also appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Mother Jones, and ARTnews. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and children.