Chrysler Building - Building in Turtle Bay Chrysler Building 455 ratings "... and was designed by William Van Alen. Built in 1930, it was the headquarters for"(4 Tips) "One of our favorite NY buildings."(3 Tips) "A view from 69th floor.."(2 Tips) "Art Deco skyscraper; distinctive feature of Manhattan skyline;..."(2 Tips) 86 Tips and reviews Log in to leave a tip here. Post Alan Morton September 20, 2016 Favourite building in New York Heli Roinisto July 26, 2016 Lovely My HUSBAND Josh Taroli April 20, 2016 View from below. Sara Y April 15, 2016 Secret amazing cobbler in the basement! Nikos Fotou January 31, 2016 Famous landmark.

Lots of fotos Hector December 19, 2015 Olexy Sadovy December 2, 2015 The most beautiful tower Norman Ellis June 10, 2015 Been here 100+ times Since CAA moved into the building there's a very good chance of spotting celebrities in the lobby. Celia Navarrete Bravo April 26, 2015 Art Deco representation. You can see the hall for free. Mike Hopkins April 14, 2015 The best building in New York City Tanner Welsh March 17, 2015 Go in the lobby. Look up. Admire. Onur Avcı December 19, 2014 Don't forget to look up when entering the building...it's best. Alexandre Curiel September 24, 2014 Art Deco's temple Kaya Gofrey March 27, 2014 great one infact Mitchell Luo February 28, 2014 Easy to walk and pass by. The neon at night changes its color for different occasions.

Rob Mehta February 28, 2014 There is no observation room here. Unless you are going to see the dentist. Filippa Edberg-Manuel September 23, 2013 Don't forget to look up when entering the building... The Capital Grille September 17, 2013 Completed in 1930, this Art Deco landmark is still the tallest brick building in the world. Jacob Shemkovitz August 27, 2013 Art Deco skyscraper; distinctive feature of Manhattan skyline; at one point world's tallest building Rebecca Brown July 14, 2013 Built in 1930 and designed by Architect, William Van Alen. Height is 1,046 ft (319 m). Fact; Built from 29961 tons of steel and 3,826,000 bricks. Daniel Trezub May 12, 2013 The details inside the lobby are fantastic. Make sure you get inside to see them. Don't mind the people that work here, they don't get the beauty or the importance of the building.

The Tiny TieRant May 2, 2013 There are stores and shops in the lower arcade open to the public. Cristina April 26, 2013 Judy Briskman Arnold April 19, 2013 One of the most recognizable buildings in N.Y.C. skyline and one of the most interesting, architecturally speaking, IMHO Wanda Barrett April 14, 2013 Great scenery, on way to IBS SHOW Eddie R. March 20, 2013 Prettier than the Empire State, IMO Lauren Murphy-Gerling March 6, 2013 A unique building that you cannot miss. A must see for first timers to the city. Michelin Travel & Lifestyle February 19, 2013 New York’s tallest for only one year, the 1930 skyscraper’s spire of radiant stainless steel arches won it icon status nonetheless.

- Green Guide Editor Elton Julian December 4, 2012 Chrysler Building good to visit Small Demons October 24, 2012 "Look at it, like a giant, steel Christmas tree."—Christopher Krovatin, "Venomous" Read more Cooper Smith August 16, 2012 For a sans-tourist view of the NYC skyline, tell security you're going to Zen Dentistry on the 69th floor. Once there, ask if they take your insurance. While they research, enjoy the view & take pics Read more Untapped Cities July 20, 2012 From 1930 to 1931 the Chrysler Building was the tallest building in the world. Did you know parts of the building were modeled on 1920s Chryslers? Read more Bloomberg TV July 16, 2012 How much would you pay for the tallest brick building in the world?

In 2008, a 90% stake in this classic Art Deco-style structure was purchased by the Abu Dhabi Investment Council for $800m Mike Beauchamp July 6, 2012 Check out the lobby. No observation deck, though. Paul Pascual June 20, 2012 A view from 69th floor.. Renaissance Hotels May 22, 2012 The lobby at the Chrysler Building, clad in marble, onyx and amber, is one of the most beautiful, iconic rooms in NYC. For more local tips, follow us on 4sq or check out IWalked Audio Tours May 8, 2012 Iconic NYC skyscraper. Was vision of Walter Percy Chrysler who wanted the world's highest toilet so he could "look down on Henry Ford and s**t on the rest of the world." More site history here. <LINK> Read more ArtNerdNewYork May 6, 2012 Automobile-inspired, Art Deco decadence, the Chrysler building is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world and was designed by William Van Alen.

Built in 1930, it was the headquarters for Read more NY Waterway May 2, 2012 There's no observation deck, but the lobby of the Chrysler Building is worth a visit to see the ceiling mural. Metropolis magazine April 10, 2012 One of our favorite NY buildings. Designed by achitect William Van Alen, the building still lights up the NY skyline. New York Habitat April 10, 2012 Unfortunately this beautiful Art Deco building’s observation deck has been closed since 1945. The marble lobby is open to visitors though, and it’s free! Andrew Hogue March 27, 2012 319.9 metres (1,050 ft), tallest building in the world 1930-1931. Metropolis Magazine March 25, 2012 One of our favorite NY buildings. Designed by achitect William Van Alen, the building still lights up the NY skyline. TIME February 29, 2012 TIME's 1929 "Man of the Year" was Walter P.

Chrysler, a man who helped shape not only the American auto-industry, but architecture as well. EchoDA February 15, 2012 The top of the building is a NYC classic, with Art Deco motif's,look at the top and you will see, plus the interior's take you back to the 30's.. EchoDA December 22, 2011 the top of the building is a NYC classic, with Art Deco motif's,look at the top and you will see, plus the interior's take you back to the 30's.. Amy Atomic November 3, 2011 The most beautiful building in all of NY. Collectivus November 2, 2011 NYC: Chrysler Building - Entrance | The Chrysler Building, a… | Flickr Wally Gobetz By: Wally Gobetz NYC: Chrysler Building - Entrance The Chrysler Building, at 405 Lexington Avenue, was built from 1928-1930 to the art-deco design of architect William Van Alen.

Standing at 1,046-feet high, it was the first structure in the world to surpass the 1,000-foot threshold. Despite being overtaken by the Empire State Building as the tallest building in the world eleven months later, the Chrysler Building is still the tallest brick building in the world. Although built and designed specifically for the Chrysler Corporation, the company did not pay for its construction and never owned it. Walter P. Chrysler self-financed the project so that his children could inherit it. The Chrysler Building is known for its terraced crown, composed of seven arches and clad in an austenitic stainless steel and riveted in a radiating suburst pattern. The tower's distinctive ornamentation is influenced by Chrysler automobiles. The corners of the 61st floors are graced with eagles, replicas of the 1929 Chrysler hood ornaments. On the 31st floors the corner ornamentation are replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps. The Chrysler Building was designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1978.

In 2007, The Chrysler Building was ranked #9 on the AIA 150 America's Favorite Architecture list. National Historic Register #76001237 (1976) Done Chrysler Building | Architectuul Description Change this The Chrysler Building is a classic example of Art Deco architecture and considered by many contemporary architects to be one of the finest buildings in New York City. It was the headquarters of the Chrysler Corporation from 1930 until the mid-1950s, but, although the building was built and designed specifically for the car manufacturer, the corporation did not pay for the construction of it and never owned it. Walter P. Chrysler decided to pay for it himself, so that his children could inherit it. The building is currently owned by Tishman Speyer, along with a new Millenium style buliding 'Chrysler East'. Collectively the buildings are known as the Chrysler Centre, taking the entire of 42nd Street, between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue. The Chrysler Building was designed by architect William Van Alen for a project of Walter P. Chrysler.

When the ground breaking occurred on September 19, 1928, there was an intense competition in New York City to build the world's tallest skyscraper. Despite a frantic pace (the building was built at an average rate of four floors per week), no workers died during the construction of this skyscraper. Van Alen's original design for the skyscraper called for a decorative jewel-like glass crown . It also featured a base in which the showroom windows were tripled in height and topped by 12 stories with glass-wrapped corners, creating an impression that the tower appeared physically and visually light as if floating in mid-air. The height of the skyscraper was also originally designed to be 246 meters (807 ft). However, the design proved to be too advanced and costly for building contractor William H. Reynolds, who disapproved of Van Alen's original plan. The design and lease were then sold to Walter P. Chrysler, who worked with Van Alen and redesigned the skyscraper for additional stories; it was eventually revised to be 282 m (925 ft) tall.

As Walter Chrysler was the chairman of the Chrysler Corporation and intended to make the building into Chrysler's headquarters, various architectural details and especially the building's gargoyles were modeled after Chrysler automobile products like the hood ornaments of the Plymouth; they exemplify the machine age in the 1920s. The Chrysler Building is considered a leading example of Art Deco architecture. The corners of the 61st floor are graced with eagles; on the 31st floor, the corner ornamentation are replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps . In total, the building currently contains 3,862 windows on its facade and 4 banks of 8 elevators designed by the Otis Elevator Corporation. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. The Chrysler Building is also renowned and recognized for its terraced crown. Composed of seven radiating terraced arches, Van Alen's design of the crown is a cruciform groin vault constructed into seven concentric members with transitioning setbacks, mounted up one behind another.

The stainless-steel cladding is ribbed and riveted in a radiating sunburst pattern with many triangular vaulted windows, transitioning into smaller segments of the seven narrow setbacks of the facade of the terraced crown. The entire crown is clad with silvery "Enduro KA-2" metal, an austenitic stainless steel developed in Germany by Krupp and marketed under the trade name "Nirosta" (a German acronym for nichtrostender Stahl, meaning "non-rusting steel"). Construction commenced on September 19, 1928. In total, almost 400,000 rivets were used and approximately 3,826,000 bricks were manually laid, to create the non-loadbearing walls of the skyscraper. Contractors, builders and engineers were joined by other building-services experts to coordinate construction. As part of the competition at the time to build the tallest building in New York, Van Alen obtained permission for a 38-meter (125 ft) long spire and had it secretly constructed inside the frame of the building. The spire was delivered to the site in four different sections.

On October 23, 1929, the bottom section of the spire was hoisted onto the top of the building's dome and lowered into the 66th floor of the building. The other remaining sections of the spire were hoisted and riveted to the first one in sequential order in just 90 minutes. Upon completion, May 20, 1930, the added height of the spire allowed the Chrysler Building to surpass 40 Wall Street as the tallest building in the world and the Eiffel Tower as the tallest structure. It was the first man-made structure to stand taller than 1,000 feet (305 m). Van Alen's satisfaction in these accomplishments was likely muted by Walter Chrysler's later refusal to pay the balance of his architectural fee. Less than a year after it opened to the public on May 27, 1930, the Chrysler Building was surpassed in height by the Empire State Building, but the Chrysler Building is still the world's tallest steel-supported brick building.

The east building wall of the base out of which the tower rises runs at a slant to the Manhattan street grid, following a property line that predated the Commissioners' Plan of 1811. The land on which the Chrysler Building stands was donated to The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, a private college that offers every admitted student a full tuition scholarship, in 1902. The land was originally leased to William H. Reynolds, but, when he was unable to raise money for the project, the building and the development rights to the land were acquired by Walter P. Chrysler in 1928. Contrary to popular belief, the Chrysler Corporation was never involved in the construction or ownership of the Chrysler Building, although it was built and designed for the corporation and served as its headquarters until the mid-1950s. It was a project of Walter P. Chrysler for his children. 1000+ images about Amazing buildings on Pinterest | Dubai, Architecture and Places The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City.

At 1,046 feet (319 m), the structure was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. See More History of Walter P. Chrysler and the Chrysler Building History of Walter P. Chrysler and the Chrysler Building by Kenneth L. Massey (formerly Kenosha plant worker) 1928 was a year of many significant firsts. 3M launched Scotch tape, George Eastman showed the first color motion pictures, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, and New Yorkers were enthralled with Babe Ruth and the Yankees, the first team to sweep two consecutive World Series. Baseball wasn’t the only competition in town; a competition to build the world’s tallest skyscraper was beginning in earnest. Even as he created the Plymouth and Desoto Motor Corporations , and completed the purchase and merger of Dodge Brothers , Walter P. Chrysler was finalizing an ambitious plan to build the world’s tallest building. The design, by architect William Van Alen, was originally created for building contractor William H. Reynolds. It was intended only to be a speculative office building, but the design was ultimately sold to and revised for Walter P.

Chrysler. A classic example of Art Deco architecture, the Chrysler Building would be one of the first to extensively use stainless steel over an exposed building surface; it would also be the world’s tallest steel-supported brick building. Optimistic and reflective of the Jazz Age, the tower rises seventy-seven stories and culminates in a beautifully tapered, stainless steel crown supporting a spire that pierces the sky and raises the height of the building to 1048 feet. It is considered by many to be the world's quintessential skyscraper design. Construction of the Chrysler Building The groundbreaking, at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, was held on September 19, 1928. Even though Walter P. Chrysler intended the building to be Chrysler Corporation’s headquarters, the automaker had no ownership in the building — but it would have a role to play. The first air-conditioned office building in the United States opened in San Antonio, Texas in January 1928. Mr. Chrysler wanted a more streamlined and less costly system for his tower.

He enlisted the Chrysler Engineering staff and Charles Neeson, who invented a high-speed radial compressor that made the Chrysler Building the first fully air conditioned skyscraper, and was to be the dominant design for decades afterwards. Airtemp was incorporated in October 1934 to sell the new technology; through its innovations, Airtemp assumed a position of sales and engineering leadership in air conditioning. While the Chrysler Building moved forward, H. Craig Severance, a former partner of William Van Alen, was working to complete a rival skyscraper, the Bank of Manhattan Trust building at 40 Wall Street. Now known as the Trump Building, it was originally designed to be 68 stories (840 feet), making it two feet taller than the rival Chrysler Building. The plans were changed to 71 stories, bringing it to a height of 927 feet on its completion in May 1930, after only 11 months of construction. Starting later than those two rivals was the William F. Lamb-designed Empire State Building, which broke ground on January 22, 1930. Walter P. Chrysler was not to be outdone; construction proceeded at an average rate of four floors per week.

Given the competitive nature of these projects, secrecy regarding construction details was important. As completion neared, the Manhattan Trust and the Chrysler Building were virtually even in height, but Van Alen and Mr. Chrysler had clandestinely arranged the off-site construction of the building’s 185-foot spire, which was delivered in four sections and secretly assembled inside the building. On October 23, 1929, the bottom section of the spire was hoisted to the top of the building's dome and lowered into the 66th floor of the building. The remaining sections of the spire were hoisted and riveted in sequential order in just ninety minutes, eclipsing the finished height of the Manhattan Trust Building by 121 feet and securing the Chrysler Building’s position as the world’s tallest building. Surprised and disgruntled by that late development, the Severance camp challenged the claim based on the lack of functionality of the crown and spire, but developments in the near future would soon render the argument moot. Opening ceremonies for the Chrysler Building were held on May 28, 1930. Despite a frantic pace, no workers had died during the construction of the skyscraper.

The completed Chrysler Building The completed tower has 3,862 windows; 20,961 tons of structural steel, 391,881 rivets, and 3,826,000 bricks. Walter P. Chrysler had succeeded in building the tallest skyscraper in the world, but his accomplishment was short-lived. Less than a year later, officially opening on May 1, 1931, the Empire State Building surpassed the Chrysler Building as the world’s tallest skyscraper. With 102 stories and a height of 1,453 feet, the Empire State Building was to hold that distinction for more than forty years – ending with the construction of New York’s World Trade Center in 1972. There was more acrimony. William Van Alen had failed to enter into a formal contract for his fees, which were 6% of the project’s construction budget of $14 million. Mr. Chrysler refused to pay those fees and accused Van Alen of accepting bribes from sub-contractors. Van Alen sued and eventually won his case, but his reputation suffered.

The case, combined with the Great Depression, effectively ended his career and he turned to teaching sculpture. The Chrysler Building received mixed reviews from critics at its opening, but is a beloved landmark and considered by many contemporary architects to be one of the finest buildings in New York City. Visitor continue to be dazzled and intrigued by the structure’s terraced crown and the ornamentation on its shaft and setbacks that reference decorative and functional details of Chrysler’s 1929 automobiles. The eagle “gargoyles” which adorn the corners of the 61st floor and the crown brightwork above the 61st floor are made of corrosion-resistant Nirosta, the trade name for an alloy of chrome-nickel steel ("Enduro KA-2") that was developed by Krupp. The eagles are replicas of the 1929 Chrysler hood ornaments and the ornaments adorning the corners of the 31st floor echo Plymouth’s 1929 radiator caps. Chrysler Building Ownership Walter P. Chrysler maintained his personal offices in the Chrysler Building, and the first floor held a Chrysler automobile showroom (shut down in 1963).

The private Cloud Club, popular during Prohibition, occupied a three-floor high space from the 66th to 68th floors and had a hidden room, but it was converted to office space in the late 1970s. The Chrysler family sold the building in 1947, and ownership of the building has changed several times. In 1979, under the ownership of Canadian entrepreneur Jack Kent Cooke, the lobby was refurbished and the facade renovated. In the 1980s, the original distinctive lighting scheme for the tower’s crown was rediscovered and installed. In 1998, Tishman Speyer Properties and the Travelers Insurance Group bought the Chrysler Building and the adjoining Kent Building in 1997 for about $220 million from a consortium of banks and the estate of Jack Kent Cooke. They flipped 75% of it to TMW, the German arm of an Atlanta-based investment fund, for $300 million, gaining over $80 million in just four years.

In June 2008, the Abu Dhabi Investment Council bought TMW's share and a 15% interest from Tishman Speyer Properties, along with a share of the Trylons retail structure next door for $800 million (a healthy profit for TMW and Tishman Speyer), so that now the Abu Dhabi Investment Council owns 90% of the Chrysler Building. The Chrysler Building has continued to garner praise and honors, as noted by John Julius Norwich in The World Atlas of Architecture: "Art Deco in France found its American equivalent in the design of the New York skyscrapers of the 1920s. The Chrysler Building ... was one of the most accomplished essays in the style." The Chrysler Building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976; its distinctive profile has influenced skyscraper design worldwide, as illustrated by architect Helmut Jahn’s One Liberty Place in Philadelphia. In the summer of 2005, New York's Skyscraper Museum asked one hundred architects, builders, critics, engineers, historians, and scholars, among others, to choose their ten favorites among twenty-five New York towers.

The Chrysler Building came in first place, with 90% placing the building in their top ten. In 2007, it was ranked ninth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the A.I.A (American Institute of Architects). Chrysler Building | The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco sty… | Flickr Hernán Piñera By: Hernán Piñera Chrysler Building The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan in the Turtle Bay area at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. At 1,046 feet (319 m),[1][6][7] the structure was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931.[8] It is still the tallest brick building in the world, albeit with an internal steel skeleton.

After the destruction of the World Trade Center, it was again the second-tallest building in New York City until December 2007, when the spire was raised on the 1,200-foot (365.8 m) Bank of America Tower, pushing the Chrysler Building into third position. In addition, The New York Times Building, which opened in 2007, is exactly level with the Chrysler Building in height.[9] Both buildings were then pushed into 4th position, when the under construction One World Trade Center surpassed their height. The Chrysler Building is a classic example of Art Deco architecture and considered by many contemporary architects to be one of the finest buildings in New York City. In 2007, it was ranked ninth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.[10] It was the headquarters of the Chrysler Corporation from 1930 until the mid-1950s. Although the building was built and designed specifically for the car manufacturer, the corporation did not pay for the construction of it and never owned it, as Walter P.

Chrysler decided to pay for it himself, so that his children could inherit it.[11] El edificio Chrysler (Chrysler Building en inglés) es un rascacielos art decó situado en el lado este de Manhattan (Nueva York, Estados Unidos), en el 405 de la Avenida Lexington y en la intersección de la Calle 42. Se ha convertido en un símbolo distintivo de la ciudad. Con sus 319 metros (1.047 pies) de altura,2 3 fue el edificio más alto del mundo durante 11 meses, hasta que fue superado por el edificio Empire State en 1931. Construido originalmente por la corporación Chrysler, el edificio es actualmente copropiedad de TMW Real Estate (75%) y Tishman Speyer Properties (25%). El edificio Chrysler fue diseñado por William Van Alen, el contratista William H. Reynolds y posteriormente vendido a Walter Percy Chrysler como sede central para su compañía.

Done AD Classics: Chrysler Building / William Van Alen | ArchDaily AD Classics: Chrysler Building / William Van Alen AD Classics: Chrysler Building / William Van Alen 01:00 - 22 December, 2010 Manhattan, New York, NY, United States Architect Wikimedia Commons , New York Architecture From the architect. In a skyline that has developed New York as a destination for architects and city lovers alike, the Chrysler Building by William Van Alen is identifiable from any distance for its distinguishable style and profile against its surroundings. Save this picture! © New York Architecture With the initial intention to be the world's tallest building, it remained so for only eleven months until it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. The Chrysler Building is a classic example of the Art Deco style, from the street to its terraced crown. Interior and exterior alike, it is admired for its distinctive ornamentation based on features that were also found on Chrysler automobiles at the time. Save this picture! © New York Architecture When Walter Chrysler took over the lease of the proposed office building in construction, he was interested in building the highest structure known to date.

As this was the goal of most architects across the table, William Van Alen kept the 185-foot spire addition a secret until it was delivered to the site in sections to be erected in a surprising 90 minutes. This unbelievably speedy addition paralleled the frantic pace of construction of the rest of the skyscraper; an average of four floors were completed per week. Save this picture! © Wikimedia Commons Costing a total of $20,000,000, the unique skyscraper is made with 29,961 tons of steel, about 3,826,000 bricks, and 5,000 windows. Save this picture! © Wikimedia Commons All the bricks were manually laid by hand, creating non-loadbearing walls. To create this Art Deco masterpiece, tradesmen with specialized skills gathered on the site, coordinating between contractors, builders, engineers and other building services experts. Save this picture! © New York Architecture The white and dark gray brickwork of the facade emphasizes the horizontality of the rows of windows.

The stepping spires are made of stainless steel with a stylized sunburst motif, and sit just above a series of gargoyles that depict American eagles which stare out over the city. Save this picture! © New York Architecture More noticeable connections between the exterior of the building and the Chrysler car are the sculptures modeled after radiator caps and ornaments of car wheels that decorate the lower setbacks. Save this picture! © New York Architecture Standing 319.5 meters (1048 feet) high, the Chrysler Building houses 77 floors, including a lobby three stories high with entrances from three sides of the building, Lexington Avenue, 42nd and 43rd Streets. Save this picture! © New York Architecture Its triangular form is lavishly decorated with Red Moroccan marble walls, sienna-colored floor, onyx, blue marble and steel. Artist Edward Trumbull was hired to paint murals on the ceiling; these paintings and other parts of the interior were refurbished in 1978 by JCS Design Associates and Joseph Pell Lombardi. Save this picture!

plan 03 The Chrysler Building was purchased in 1957 by real estate moguls Sol Goldman and Alex DiLorenzo, and was later sold to the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. The new owners refurbished the facade and renovated in 1978, and then sold again to Jack Kent Cooke, an investor. In 1976, the Chrysler Building was declared a National Historic Landmark. Save this picture! plan 01 In 2007, the Chrysler Building was ranked ninth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects. It remains one of the most recognizable buildings, as it has been featured in several movies, including Godzilla, Armageddon, Deep Impact, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Sex and the City and Spider-Man. construction 77 floors, 319.5m (1048 feet) high, 29961 tons of steel, 3,826,000 bricks, near 5000 windows.

Cost: $ 20,000,000 The building is clad in white brick and dark gray brickwork is used as horizontal decoration to enhance the window rows. The eccentric crescent-shaped steps of the spire (spire scaffolding) were made of stainless steel (or rather, similar nirosta chrome-nickel steel) as a stylized sunburst motif, and underneath it steel gargoyles, depicting American eagles (image), stare over the city. Sculptures modeled after Chrysler automobile radiator caps (image) decorate the lower setbacks, along with ornaments of car wheels. The three stories high, upwards tapering entrance lobby has a triangular form, with entrances from three sides, Lexington Avenue, 42nd and 43rd Streets. The lobby is lavishly decorated with Red Moroccan marble walls, sienna-coloured floor and onyx, blue marble and steel in Art Deco compositions. The ceiling murals, painted by Edward Trumbull, praise the modern-day technical progress -- and of course the building itself and its builders at work. The lobby was refurbished in 1978 by JCS Design Assocs. and Joseph Pell Lombardi.

type notes What started as a small speculative office building became one of New York's most admired landmarks. Chrysler took over the lease of the office building when it was in construction, hired William Van Alen to create a monument to his growing company and, allegedly, asked the architect to build the highest building constructed to date. To beat out his competitors who were also trying to build the world's tallest building, Van Alen erected a 185-foot spire on the top of the tower which was secretly delivered to the site in sections and raised to the top in a mere 90 minutes. Only a few months later, the Empire State Building surpassed the building in height, but the Art Deco skyscraper remains an unparalleled monument to industry. One of the first large buildings to use metal extensively on the exterior, the building's ornament makes reference to the automobile, the quintessential symbol of the machine age. Metal hubcaps, gargoyles in the form of radiator caps, car fenders and hood ornaments decorate shaft and setbacks of the white and black brick building. This aluminum trim culminates in a beautiful, tapered stainless steel crown that supports the famous spire.

A private lounge called the Cloud Club and an observation area were located at the top of the building. A particularly beautiful example of the Art Deco style, the lobby is clad in different marbles, onyx and amber. It is decorated with Egyptian motifs and a ceiling fresco by Edward Trumbull entitled "Transport and Human Endeavor" that depicts buildings, airplanes, and scenes from the Chrysler assembly line. The building was landmarked in 1978 and it is now owned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. By Jeff Glasser One day in April 1929 an agitated Walter Chrysler called elite architect William Van Alen into his Manhattan office. "Van, you've just got to get up and do something," said the auto magnate, according to a contemporary account. "It looks as if we're not going to be the highest after all." Chrysler's bid to put up the tallest building in the world, a monument to himself and American capitalism, was in jeopardy. In the canyons of Lower Manhattan, George Ohrstrom, a 34-year-old banker dubbed "the kid," was vowing to set the record at 40 Wall Street. "Think up something," Chrysler harangued his architect.

"Your valves need grinding. There's a knock in you somewhere. Speed up your carburetor. Go to it!" The great skyscraper race was afoot. At 40 Wall Street, the cold calculus of money was paramount. Ohrstrom, the investment banker, chose Craig Severance, Van Alen's estranged former partner, to be the architect. The building took form from the inside out, according to Bascomb. Severance figured out how many offices he could fit on a floor, then placed the elevators and the steel columns to determine the shape of the building, which would rise 67 stories and reach 840 feet. Construction started in May 1929, under deadline pressure. In those days, all New York office leases began on May 1. To finish 40 Wall Street by that date in 1930, workers laid foundations for the tower even before they had finished wrecking the old building on the site. In August 1929, Bascomb writes, rumors reached Severance that Van Alen had tweaked the Chrysler Building to exceed the official 808 feet.

Severance made his building's pyramidal top steeper and added a 60-foot steel cap to push 40 Wall Street to 925 feet. With three shifts working seven days a week, builder Paul Starrett met the May 1930 deadline and set a speed record for completing a skyscraper. But Ohrstrom, Severance, and Starrett had jumped the gun in claiming the height prize. In November 1929, with the interior still unfinished, they invited the downtown elite to a ceremony. "The World's Tallest Building Raises the Stars & Stripes to the New York Heavens," said the headline in the New York World. Unbeknownst to those assembled, Chrysler and Van Alen had outfoxed them. First Van Alen added an arch to the ornate steel dome, bringing the Chrysler Building to 860 feet. Then he ordered workers to assemble a 27-ton steel tip deep within the construction site. A few weeks before the Wall Street event, workers hoisted the spike--called a "vertex"--to the top.

The Chrysler Building gained 186 feet instantly; at 1,046 feet, it surpassed 40 Wall Street and the Eiffel Tower, for 40 years the world's tallest structure. No one noticed until the story broke four days after the downtown ceremony. Gimmicks. Ohrstrom and Severance led a campaign to condemn Chrysler's dirty trick. George Chappell, the New Yorker's architecture critic, denounced Chrysler's building as "a stunt design, evolved to make the man in the street look up." In response, Chrysler hired famed photographer Margaret Bourke-White to climb 1,000 feet and take sweeping photos of his building. Chrysler was soon overshadowed by Raskob, who had hired Al Smith, the former presidential candidate and New York governor, as a front man. In December 1929, Smith announced to his old pals in the press that the Empire State Building would rise 202 feet taller than the Chrysler Building. Most of the elevation would come from a mooring mast for zeppelins.

It soon became clear that zeppelins could not land at 1,250 feet, 102 stories above the street, because of crosswinds. That didn't faze Raskob: Topping the others was what counted. Raskob and Smith hired Starrett, who embarked on a second all-out construction push. Another rental deadline loomed, 11 months away. To finish by May 1, 1931, he couldn't afford to let his 3,500 men come down from the higher floors for lunch, so he built them restaurants in the unfinished building. The Empire State Building opened on time in 1931, at less than half the projected $50 million cost. It hardly mattered: By then the nation was mired in the Great Depression. With a 77 percent vacancy rate, critics began to call the world's tallest building the Empty State. One half-seriously suggested turning it into a hotel for New York's 1 million homeless. Starrett suffered a nervous breakdown, Ohrstrom lost his stake in 40 Wall Street, and Van Alen never worked on another big commission.

"Another Louisiana Bubble had burst, but at least something more than paper and forlorn dreams were left," Starrett later wrote in his autobiography. "The tall buildings remained. They would stand for a long time." The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Standing at 319 m (1,047 ft) high,[1] it was briefly the world's tallest building before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. However, the Chrysler Building remains the world's tallest brick building.[2][3] After the destruction of the World Trade Center, it was again the second tallest building in New York City until December 2007, when the spire was raised on the 365.8 m (1,200 ft) Bank of America building, pushing the Chrysler Building into third position.

In addition, the New York Times Building, which opened in 2007, is exactly tied with the Chrysler Building in height, making the two buildings tied for 3rd position.[4] Despite the change in tallness ranking in New York, the Chrysler Building is still a classic example of Art Deco architecture and considered by many, at least among contemporary architects, to be one of the finest buildings in New York City. History The Chrysler Building was designed by architect William Van Alen to house the Chrysler Corporation. When the ground breaking occurred on September 19, 1928, there was an intense competition in New York City to build the world's tallest skyscraper.[5][6] Despite a frantic pace (the building was erected at an average rate of four floors per week), no workers died during the construction of this skyscraper. [7] Design beginnings Van Alen's original design for the skyscraper calls for a decorative jewel-like glass crown.

His design also features the building's base in which showroom windows were tripled in height and topped by various number of stories with glass-wrapped cor­ners, creating an impression that the tower appeared physically and visually light as if floating on mid air.[8] The height of the skyscraper was also originally designed to be 246.0 m (807 ft) tall.[7] However, the design was proved to be costly. Hence, building contractor William H. Reynolds disapproved Van Alen's original plan.[9] The design and lease was sold to Walter P. Chrysler, who worked with Van Alen and redesigned the skyscraper for additional stories was later revised to be 282.0 m (925 ft) tall.[7] As Walter Chrysler was the chairman of the Chrysler Automobile Corporation,[7] various architectural details and especially the building's gargoyles were modeled after Chrysler automobile products like the hood ornaments of the Plymouth, and in which must also exemplify the machine age in the 1920s.

Construction As construction proceeded on September 19 1928[7], over 400,000 rivets were used[7] and approximately 3,826,000 bricks which were manually laid by hand, was used to create non-loadbearing walls of the skyscraper.[12] Tradesman with specialized skills converged on the site. Contractors, builders and engineers were joined by other building services experts to coordinate construction. Prior to its completion, the building stood about even with a rival project at 40 Wall Street designed by H. Craig Severance. Severance increased the height of his project and then publicly claimed the title of the world's tallest building[13] (this distinction excluded structures that were not fully habitable, such as the Eiffel Tower)[14]. In response, Van Alen obtained permission for a 56.3 m (185 ft)[15] long spire and had it secretly constructed inside the frame of the building.

The spire was delivered to the site in 4 different sections.[16] On October 23, 1929, the bottom section of the spire was hoisted onto the top of the building's dome and lowered into the 66th floor of the building. The other remaining sections of the spire were hoisted and riveted to the first spire section in sequential order in just 90 minutes.[17] Completion As construction was completed on May 28, 1930[7], the added height of the spire allowed the Chrysler Building to surpass 40 Wall Street as the tallest building in the world and the Eiffel Tower as the tallest structure. It was the first man-made structure to stand taller than 1,000 feet (305 meters). Van Alen's satisfaction in these accomplishments was likely muted by Walter Chrysler's later refusal to pay the balance of his architectural fee [18]. In less than a year after it opened to the public on May 27, 1930, the Chrysler Building was surpassed in height by the Empire State Building.

Business dealings The Chrysler Building was bought in 1957 by real estate moguls Sol Goldman and Alex DiLorenzo, and later sold to the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. The lobby was refurbished and the facade was renovated in 1978 - 1979[19][20]. The building was purchased by Jack Kent Cooke, a Washington, D.C. investor in 1979. The spire underwent a restoration that was completed in 1995. The building was sold by Cooke's estate to Tishman Speyer Properties and the Travelers Insurance Group in 1998. In 2001, a 75% stake in the ownership of the building was sold to TMW, a German investment group[21]. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976[22][23][24]. Architecture Detail of the Art Deco ornamentation at the crownThe Chrysler Building is considered a masterpiece of Art Deco architecture. The distinctive ornamentation of the building is based on features that were then being used on Chrysler automobiles.

The corners of the 61st floor are graced with eagles, replicas of the 1929 Chrysler hood ornaments[25]. On the 31st floor, the corner ornamentation are replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps[26]. The building is constructed of masonry, with a steel frame, and metal cladding. In total, the building currently contains 3,862 windows on its facade and 4 banks of 8 elevators designed by Otis Elevator Corporation.[7] Crown ornamentation The Chrysler Building is also well renowned and recognised for its terraced crown. Composed of seven radiating terraced arches, Van Alen's design of the crown is a cruciform groin vault constructed into seven concentric members with transitioning set-backs, mounted up one behind each other.[27] The stainless steel cladding was ribbed and riveted in a radiating pattern and had many triangular vaulted windows, transitioning into smaller segments of the seven narrow set-backs of the facade of the terraced crown.

The entire crown is clad with silvery "Enduro KA-2" metal, an austenitic stainless steel developed in Germany by Krupp and marketed under the trade name "Nirosta" (A German play-on-words for "nie rost", meaning "never rust") [28][29]. Observation and broadcasting When the building first opened, it contained a public viewing gallery on the 71st floor, which was closed to the public in 1945. The private Cloud Club occupied the 66th-68th floors, but closed in the late 1970s. The very top stories of the building are narrow with low sloped ceilings, designed mostly for exterior appearance with interiors useful only to hold radio broadcasting and other mechanical and electrical equipment.[7] Television station WCBS-TV (Channel 2) originally transmitted from the top of the Chrysler in the 1940s and early 1950s, before moving to the Empire State Building.[7] For many years, WPAT-FM and WTFM (now WKTU) also used the Chrysler Building as a transmission site, but they also moved to the Empire by the 1970s.

There are currently no commercial broadcast stations located at the Chrysler Building. Lighting There are two sets of lighting in the top spires and decoration. The first are the V-shaped lighting inserts in the steel of the building itself. Added later were groups of floodlights which are on mast arms directed back at the building. This allows the top of the building to be lit in many colors for special occasions. This lighting was installed by electrician Charles Londner and crew during construction.[7] Appeal In more recent years, the Chrysler Building has continued to be a favorite among New Yorkers. In the summer of 2005, New York's own Skyscraper Museum asked one hundred architects, builders, critics, engineers, historians, and scholars, among others, to choose their 10 favorites among 25 New York towers. The Chrysler Building came in first place as 90% of them placed the building in their top 10 favorite buildings.[30] The Chrysler Building's distinctive profile has inspired similar skyscrapers worldwide, including One Liberty Place in Philadelphia.

Cultural Depictions As an iconic part of the New York City skyline, the Chrysler Building has been depicted countlessly in almost every medium - film, photography, video games, art, advertising, music, literature, and even fashion, as its use quickly establishes without doubt the location in which the depicted events are occurring. In the music scene, Meat Loaf's 1993 album Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell's cover art depicts a demonic bat clinging to the top floors of the Chrysler Building.

The artwork was by done by Michael Whelan.[31] The Chrysler building is widely known to be depicted in many films, such as the 1998 film Deep Impact, where the wall of water that surrounds the skyscraper, people can be seen on the 61st floor observation deck fleeing to the other side of the building.[32] In another film, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, while Johnny Storm chases the Silver Surfer through Manhattan, The Silver Surfer flies straight through the Chrysler Building.[33][34] Towards the end of Steven Spielberg's A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, the Chrysler Building is seen totally submerged underwater as the aliens guide their spacecraft through the submerged ruins of Manhattan.[35] In the first movie series of Spider-man, Spiderman perched on top of one of the building's gargoyles, mourning of a beloved relative's murder.[35] Quotations Chrysler Building"Art Deco in France found its American equivalent in the design of the New York skyscrapers of the 1920s.

The Chrysler Building...was one of the most accomplished essays in the style." —John Julius Norwich, in The World Atlas of Architecture "The design, originally drawn up for building contractor William H. Reynolds, was finally sold to Walter P. Chrysler, who wanted a provocative building which would not merely scrape the sky but positively pierce it. Its 77 floors briefly making it the highest building in the world—at least until the Empire State Building was completed—it became the star of the New York skyline, thanks above all to its crowning peak. In a deliberate strategy of myth generation, Van Alen planned a dramatic moment of revelation: the entire seven-storey pinnacle, complete with special-steel facing, was first assembled inside the building, and then hoisted into position through the roof opening and anchored on top in just one and a half hours. All of a sudden it was there—a sensational fait accompli." —Peter Gossel and Gabriele Leuthauser, in Architecture in the Twentieth Century "One of the first uses of stainless steel over a large exposed building surface.

The decorative treatment of the masonry walls below changes with every set-back and includes story-high basket-weave designs, radiator-cap gargoyles, and a band of abstract automobiles. The lobby is a modernistic composition of African marble and chrome steel." —Elliot Willensky and Norval White, in AIA Guide to New York References ^ The World's Tallest Brick Building - SkyscraperPicture.com ^ A view from Above - The Chrysler Building ^ Emporis Data - See Tallest buildings Ranking ^ Emporis Data "...a celebrated three-way race to become the tallest building in the world." ^ The Manhatten Company - Skyscraper.org; "...'race' to erect the tallest tower in the world." ^ a b c d e f g h i j k University of Wisconsin-Madison; School of Engineering - The Chrysler Building ^ The Silver Spire; How two men's dreams changed the skyline of New York Paragraph 8. Author: James E. Beyer, American Institute of Architects ^ Emporis.com - Chrysler Building ^ Glass Steel and Stone - Chrysler Building & automobile parts ^ Emporis Data ^ The Chrysler Building, Creating a New York icon, day by day.

Pages 54, 158, image caption no.39 ISBN 1-56898-354-9 ^ Emporis Data - See source no.4 line 4; "Briefly held the world's tallest title until it was eclipsed by the spire of Chrysler Building." ^ CTBUH - Criteria of World's Tallest Building ^ The Chrysler Building, Creating a New York icon, day by day. Page 161. Image caption no.39 - ISBN 1-56898-354-9 ^ The Chrysler Building, Creating a New York icon, day by day. Page 161, image caption no.54 ISBN 1-56898-354-9 ^ The Chrysler Building, Creating a New York icon, day by day. Pages xiii (Paragraph 10) and 161. Image caption no.39 - ISBN 1-56898-354-9 ^

Question: William Van Allan designed which New York building - the tallest brick building in the world in 1930?
Answer: The Chrysler Building