# How did they build brick skyscrapers so straight and square before things like computerized laser levels? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2023, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-build-brick-skyscrapers-so-straight-and-square-before-things-like-computerized-laser-levels/979118 "2023-01-31T19:19:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-build-brick-skyscrapers-so-straight-and-square-before-things-like-computerized-laser-levels/979118/1 "2023-01-31T19:19:34Z")
If you’ve been to an old city like New York, DC, Chicago, etc, you’ll see lots of very tall buildings made with bricks. These buildings seem to be very straight and square even though they are dozens of stories high. How did the bricklayers keep everything so straight and square as the building went that high? Anyone who has done something like build a brick wall or column knows that it’s pretty easy for things to get sloped or twisted as the bricks are laid down. You have to do something like hang a string and use levels along the way to ensure the structure stays nice and straight. That works for things that are just a few feet high, but I can’t see those tricks working on a 500’ building. Hanging a string that blows in the wind and using 6’ levels aren’t going to cut it for that height. What tricks did those bricklayers use to ensure the building ended up straight from the ground to the top? --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-build-brick-skyscrapers-so-straight-and-square-before-things-like-computerized-laser-levels/979118)._