The Structural Ironworkers of New York City, 1845–1895

abstract: This article examines the life and work of New York City’s ironworkers, who erected the city’s first tall buildings, factory lofts, and other iron-framed structures. It chronicles the development of iron construction and the fortunes of the trade; analyzes the skills, tools, and machinery ironworkers used on the job; and describes their efforts to improve their lot in solidarity with other workers. Using project records, newspapers, and labor publications, this article reconstructs the history of a new building trade in a period of momentous change in the building industry.