According to the Encyclopedia Americana, the initial impetus for super-tall construction came from the demand for more commercial space. Their construction was made technically feasible by improvements in steel making and elevator technology, and they found their mode of expression in the stripped down "International Style" of architecture. Such buildings became the mainstream of American architecture and reached its peak in the 1930s.
根據大美百科全書的描述，美國摩天大樓的興起，一開始是因為城市商業的發展，為了增加更多營業場所而蓋，但隨著工業科技的發展如平爐煉鋼法的改進、電梯的發展演進，以及建築上講究不帶裝飾等「國際樣式」風格的發展，使得摩天大樓在一九三○年代達到高峰。