ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the period from 1901 to 1941 and the dominant events of World War I and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Key events include the growing power of labor, the successful organization of the general contractors, growth of architectural and engineering companies and an attempt to create a unified front for the industry. The various labor craft brotherhoods now join the American Federation of Labor and group together as the Building and Construction Trades Department, with an aggressive program supported by the power of the work stoppage. This is undermined to some degree by frequent squabbles over jurisdiction of the new materials now in use – several examples are given. Encouraged by the government's structuring of the economy in response to WWI, an Association of General Contractors of America is formed in 1918 and gets to work to protect its members from unreasonable strictures in contracts and regulations, in addition to developing working arrangements with the BCTD. Architects and engineers benefit from healthy building and construction activity until the Depression dramatically cuts activity in 1933 to one-third of its volume in 1928. The repercussions are devastating and continue until preparations for WWII arrive. In 1922 an American Construction Council, under the management of Franklin Roosevelt, is formed to include a wide swath of industry representatives, but never gets off the ground. There are four sidebars attached dealing with owner's organizations, the debate over measurement for bidders, the Empire State building and the continuing story of Lockwood Greene Engineers.
