23 Black-and-White Photos of Massive Old-School Construction Projects

Daniel Bonfiglio Published 10/04/2024 in wow

Modern construction is a spectacular coordination of planning and execution, with the help of things like computer programs and power tools. But we haven't always had bulldozers or AutoCad, and construction projects were forced to go ahead anyway.

Humans have been building incredible things for thousands of years using horses, pulleys, sheer manpower, and some serious creativity. Here are 23 miraculous photos of massive construction projects from before the age of cranes and power tools.

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1.
Men constructing the Chicago sewers, 1912.
2.
London sanitation engineers overseeing new sewer construction following the Great Stink of 1858.
3.
Theodore Roosevelt visiting the Panama Canal construction site, 1904.
4.
Eiffel Tower in construction, Paris 1888.
5.
Flattening hills to build Seattle, 1905-1930.
6.
The Titanic and Olympic under construction at Harland and Wolff shipyard Belfast, 1910.
7.
The London Underground under Construction in 1860.
8.
London's Tower Bridge under construction in 1889.
9.
Barricade constructed by revolutionaries of the Paris commune, 1871. Blurriness caused by long exposure time.
10.
Construction of the Manhattan Bridge in New York City, 1903.
11.
In 1908, a Victorian home in San Francisco, California, was moved using horse power.
12.
The Capitol building under construction in 1863, Washington D.C.
13.
The Times building under construction in 1903.
14.
Moving a building in Moscow, to make a street wider, 1938.
15.
A tram passing over construction of the Piccadilly Line in London, 1903.
16.
A human-powered tractor for moving heavy stones, England, 1880.
17.
Mount Rushmore construction, 1930s.
18.
Close-up of Lincoln’s head under construction, 1937.
19.
The Statue of Liberty under construction in Paris, 1884.
20.
The stern of Ise-class battleship Hyūga during her construction, 1917.
21.
The construction of the first Ferris Wheel, at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
22.
Start of the construction of the Margherita Hut on Monte Rosa, the highest building in Europe, 4,554 m above sea level, 1889.
23.
Plate Steel Spiral Casing for 70,000 horse-power Niagara Falls hydraulic turbine unit at the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1920.

1.
Men constructing the Chicago sewers, 1912.
2.
London sanitation engineers overseeing new sewer construction following the Great Stink of 1858.
3.
Theodore Roosevelt visiting the Panama Canal construction site, 1904.
4.
Eiffel Tower in construction, Paris 1888.
5.
Flattening hills to build Seattle, 1905-1930.
6.
The Titanic and Olympic under construction at Harland and Wolff shipyard Belfast, 1910.
7.
The London Underground under Construction in 1860.
8.
London's Tower Bridge under construction in 1889.
9.
Barricade constructed by revolutionaries of the Paris commune, 1871. Blurriness caused by long exposure time.
10.
Construction of the Manhattan Bridge in New York City, 1903.
11.
In 1908, a Victorian home in San Francisco, California, was moved using horse power.
12.
The Capitol building under construction in 1863, Washington D.C.
13.
The Times building under construction in 1903.
14.
Moving a building in Moscow, to make a street wider, 1938.
15.
A tram passing over construction of the Piccadilly Line in London, 1903.
16.
A human-powered tractor for moving heavy stones, England, 1880.
17.
Mount Rushmore construction, 1930s.
18.
Close-up of Lincoln’s head under construction, 1937.
19.
The Statue of Liberty under construction in Paris, 1884.
20.
The stern of Ise-class battleship Hyūga during her construction, 1917.
21.
The construction of the first Ferris Wheel, at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
22.
Start of the construction of the Margherita Hut on Monte Rosa, the highest building in Europe, 4,554 m above sea level, 1889.
23.
Plate Steel Spiral Casing for 70,000 horse-power Niagara Falls hydraulic turbine unit at the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1920.