{"podcast":{"title":"Silent Generation","slug":"silent-generation-6734898","podcast_index_feed_id":6734898,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/silentgeneration/feed.xml","website_url":"https://silentgeneration.podbean.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/17628020/Podcast_Artwork_1.jpeg","author":"Silent Generation","episode_count":114,"summary":"Silent Generation is a Chicago-based cultural analysis podcast that surveys the cultural consequences of car-oriented development in the mid-20th century. It explores what was lost between the Silent Generation and Generation Z. Topics discussed include aesthetics, fashion, history, and urbanism. Find us on Instagram: silent.generation","last_synced_at":"2026-07-01T00:17:31.203873+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/silent-generation-6734898"},"episode":{"title":"Ep. 97: Early Skyscrapers","slug":"ep-97-early-skyscrapers","published_at":"2026-03-16T11:20:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/silent-generation-6734898/ep-97-early-skyscrapers","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/silent-generation-6734898","url":"https://silentgeneration.podbean.com/e/ep-97-early-skyscrapers/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/en3dzh4a2d73xnvk/Early_Skyscrapers_Final_Edit.mp3","summary":"On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Sebastien explore the early development of skyscrapers in Chicago, beginning with the construction of the Home Insurance Building in 1885. They note that nine early Chicago skyscrapers have been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Site status and examine two in depth: the Monadnock Building and the Auditorium Building. The episode also traces the life of Louis Sullivan, whose tripartite theory shaped skyscraper design for generations. Finally, they examine several early skyscrapers in Sebastien’s hometown of Buffalo, New York (the Guaranty Building, the Ellicott Square Building, and the Dun Building) before debating the extent to which skyscrapers are monuments to capital. Links: Skyscraper | Encyclopedia Britannica Early Chicago Skyscrapers (UNESCO) The Monadnock’s original Egyptian Revival facade The Chicago Auditorium, an Architectural Pride Center for New Deal Studies The World's Tallest buildings in 1930 It looks like a fairy tale city, perhaps the Emerald City or smth like that [Historical photo of the Chicago Loop] Artwork: Guaranty Building, 1895 Church and Pearl Streets, Buffalo (NY, USA). Dankmar Adler et Louis Sullivan, architectes. © Wayne Andrews / Esto Recorded on 3/2/2026","meta_description":"On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Sebastien explore the early development of skyscrapers in Chicago, beginning with the construction…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4232,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/silent-generation-6734898/episodes/ep-97-early-skyscrapers/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/silent-generation-6734898/ep-97-early-skyscrapers.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}