This engaging book uses buildings and structures as a lens through which to explore various strands of U.S. social history, revealing the connections between architecture and the cultural, economic, and political events before and during these American landmarks' construction.

• Provides readers with an understanding of the various political and cultural factors and historical happenings that played important roles in the construction of major buildings in the 20th and 21st centuries in the United States

• Covers buildings and landmarks as diverse as the Hoover Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Watergate Complex, the World Trade Center, and Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural masterpiece, Fallingwater

• Examines the rise of entertainment in the United States and how powerful of an influence it became on American society

• Presents historical information in an engaging, informative manner that encourages interactive learning and critical thinking