Iron Architecture

Sarony, Major & Knapp
Illustrations of Iron Architecture
New York: Baker & Godwin, 1865
Prints & Photographs Division
(146a.6, 146a.7)

Cast iron proved a boon to the growing young nation. Small ironworks, which were set up throughout colonial America, rapidly expanded after the American Revolution. Affordable, of high quality, and easily shipped by rail, cast-iron architecture initiated the era of modular construction by offering standardized building parts sold through catalogs like this one.

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