ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the period from the founding of the new republic up to the start of the Civil War. An amazing time when the population increases from about 5 million to 30 million and we see the start of industrialization especially in the North. Construction follows with the emphasis on housing those extra millions and the so-called “Internal Improvements” leading to the opening up of the Midwest via canals, river clearances and roads over the Appalachians. The latter contributes to the establishment of an engineering profession and the establishment of the first engineering school at West Point. This was followed by the creation of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1852. The architects were not far behind, with the American Institute of Architects being formed in 1857, but the first school for the profession had to wait until after the war. Construction was still handled largely trade by trade, managed by the new architects and engineers, or for standard housing and simpler constructions, by master craftsmen. Other details concerning contracts, supervision, materials, labor and regulations, are covered in the chapter. There are extensive sidebars which deal in more detail with their subjects, being: Speculative Housing in Philadelphia, Benjamin Latrobe, Charles l'Enfant, the Corps of Engineers, the Erie Canal and the building of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
