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What were called skyscrapers in the 1890s and the early 20th Century were just buildings higher than most others, often just lumpish bulks. The first real skyscraper was the Woolworth Building in downtown New York City. At 760.5 ft, it was the world's tallest building. A slender tower soaring over everything, it truly scraped the sky.
The Woolworth Building was the creation of Frank W. Woolworth, who opened a five-and-ten-cent store in Lancaster, Pa., in 1879. By 1910, he owned 1,000 stores and set out to build an office building that would command the world's attention. Woolworth...