tructed to show off their political and economical
             power. These buildings were usually made of stone to show power and strength everlasting (Duncan, 20).
             A prime example of this style is the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. Tower located on 1 Madison Avenue. It was built in 1909 and held the tallest building in the world title until the Woolworth Building took the title four years later. It was modeled after the clock tower of St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice and every fifteen minutes four bronze bells would sound off music by the German composer, Händel. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. Tower was designed by French architects and molded after renaissance Italy. This building had no American influences and no originality. This was exactly what the "international style" of the time called for and yet it only included European influences, hardly international. (Art Deco, 11-19-02).
             In 1916, foresighted New York City zoners, fearing wall to wall buildings, passed a regulation that required buildings to be set back form roads, have tapered floors with increasing height, and a restricted width. To make up for the loss of floor space that the zoning law of 1916 required, buildings needed to be tall. This added height momentum to already competitive city builders. The idea of the skyscraper took off in New York City.
             At the conclusion of the First World War, the United States was faced with an interesting proposal from the rest of the world. The European dominance of world power was destroyed, the prior economical machine in Germany was devastated, and the Americans had come out on top. There were no massive influences left to control the now victorious American thought. The only dominant country was America with its dominant metropolis in New York City. The rest of the world looked to America for guidance and a new style to fit the now changing world (Risebero, 214-215)
             New York City had, and still has, a fascination with siz...