Picture the America of 1921. New York City’s Woolworth Building was the tallest in the world. The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the first baseball game broadcast on the radio. A newborn named John Glenn would one day become the first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth. 

And in New York City, steel fabricators were working together to found the American Institute of Steel Construction. These fabricators left an indelible mark by unifying a fragmented industry that had no universally accepted standards, codes, or practices. Thanks to their efforts, steel became the material that owners, designers, and engineers specified with confidence.

Over the next 100 years, the country--and the entire world--would undergo unimaginable changes, and structural steel would revolutionize the built environment. Designers and builders reached for the sky and buildings became taller and taller. At the same time, steel bridges spanned previously unthinkable lengths.

When you think back on that century, steel has left a remarkable legacy. It’s gotten greener, stronger, faster, and smarter. It’s changed the built environment forever--and that’s all because of the people who work in the industry. Every building and every bridge is an enduring testament to the men and women who chose to leave their legacy in steel.

In 2021, their children, and their children’s children, can still walk past what they built out of one of the most durable materials on the planet.

As AISC moves into its second century, it’s your turn. What’s your legacy?