Chrysler Building

Coordinates: 40°45′06″N 73°58′31″W
Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco skyscraper in the Turtle
Bay neighborhood on the East Side of Manhattan, New York
Chrysler Building
City, at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue
near Midtown Manhattan. At 1,046 feet (319 m), it is the tallest
brick building in the world with a steel framework, and was
the world's tallest building for 11 months after its completion in
1930.[4][12] As of 2019, the Chrysler is the 11th-tallest building
in the city, tied with The New York Times Building.[13]
Originally a project of real estate developer and former New

York State Senator William H. Reynolds, the building was
constructed by Walter Chrysler, the head of the Chrysler
Corporation. The construction of the Chrysler Building, an
early skyscraper, was characterized by a competition with 40
Wall Street and the Empire State Building to become the
world's tallest building. Although the Chrysler Building was
built and designed specifically for the car manufacturer, the
corporation did not pay for its construction and never owned it;
Walter Chrysler decided to fund the entire cost personally so
his children could inherit it. An annex was completed in 1952,
and the building was sold by the Chrysler family the next year,
with numerous subsequent owners.
When the Chrysler Building opened, there were mixed reviews

of the building's design, ranging from views of it as inane and
unoriginal to the idea that it was modernist and iconic.
Perceptions of the building have slowly evolved into its now
being seen as a paragon of the Art Deco architectural style; and
in 2007, it was ranked ninth on the List of America's Favorite
Architecture by the American Institute of Architects. The
building was designated a New York City landmark in 1978,
and was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a
National Historic Landmark in 1976.
Contents
Site
History
Context
Development Record height
Completion
Tallest in the world from May 27,
Use
1930[1][2] to May 1, 1931[3][I]
Design
Preceded by 40 Wall Street
Form Surpassed by Empire State
Facade Building
Interior General information
Chrysler Center Type Office
Tenants Architectural style Art Deco
Impact Location 405 Lexington
Critical reception Avenue,
As icon Manhattan, New
In popular culture York 10174
See also Coordinates 40°45′06″N
References 73°58′31″W
Notes Groundbreaking September 18,
Citations 1928[6]
Bibliography Completed May 27,
Further reading 1930[1][2]
External links Owner Land: Cooper
Union
Building: SIGNA
Site Group
and RFR
The Chrysler Building is on the eastern side of Lexington Holding LLC[7]
Avenue between 42nd and 43rd streets.[14] The land was
Height
donated to The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science
and Art in 1902.[15][16] The site is roughly a trapezoid with a Antenna spire 1,046 ft
201-foot-long (61 m) frontage on Lexington Avenue; a 167- (319 m)[4]
foot-long (51 m) frontage on 42nd Street; and a 205-foot-long Roof 925 ft (282 m)
(62 m) frontage on 43rd Street.[17] The site bordered the old
Top floor 899 ft (274 m)[4]
Boston Post Road,[18][19] which predated, and ran aslant of,
the Manhattan street grid established by the Commissioners' Technical details
Plan of 1811. As a result, the east side of the building's base is Floor count 77[4][5]
similarly aslant.[20]
Floor area 1,196,958 sq ft
The Grand Hyatt New York hotel and the Graybar Building (111,201.0 m2)[4]
are across Lexington Avenue, while the Socony–Mobil Lifts/elevators 32[4]
Building is across 42nd Street. In addition, the Chanin
Building is to the southwest, diagonally across Lexington Design and construction
Avenue and 42nd Street.[14] Architect William Van Alen
Chrysler Building
History U.S. National Register of Historic
Places
Context U.S. National Historic Landmark
NYC Landmark No. 0992, 0996
In the mid-1920s, New York's metropolitan area
Architectural style Art Deco
surpassed London's as the world's most populous metropolitan
area[21] and its population exceeded ten million by the early NRHP reference No. 76001237 (http
1930s.[22] The era was characterized by profound social and s://npgallery.nps.
technological changes. gov/AssetDetail/
Consumer goods such NRIS/76001237)
as radio, cinema, and
NYCL No. 0992, 0996
the automobile
became Significant dates
widespread. [23] In Added to NRHP 1976[10]
1927, Walter Designated NHL December 8,
Chrysler's automotive
1976[11]
company, the Chrysler
The Chrysler Building from the
Corporation, became Designated NYCL September 12,
the third-largest car 1978[9]
Empire State Building, both erected
as part of New York City's 1920s manufacturer in the References
building boom United States, [4][8]
behind Ford
and General
Motors. [24][25] The following year, Chrysler was named Time magazine's "Person of the Year".[26][27]
The economic boom of the 1920s and speculation in the real estate market fostered a wave of new
skyscraper projects in New York City.[27] The Chrysler Building was built as part of an ongoing building
boom that resulted in the city having the world's tallest building from 1908 to 1974.[28] Following the end
of World War I, European and American architects came to see simplified design as the epitome of the
modern era and Art Deco skyscrapers as symbolizing progress, innovation, and modernity. The 1916
Zoning Resolution restricted the height that street-side exterior walls of New York City buildings could rise
before needing to be setback from the street.[a][31] This led to the construction of Art Deco structures in
New York City with significant setbacks, large volumes, and striking silhouettes that were often elaborately
decorated.[32][33] Art Deco buildings were constructed for only a short period of time; but because that
period was during the city's late-1920s real estate boom, the numerous skyscrapers built in the Art Deco
style predominated in the city skyline, giving it the romantic quality seen in films and plays.[34] The
Chrysler Building project was shaped by these circumstances.[27]
Development
Planning
Originally, the Chrysler Building was to be the Reynolds Building, a

project of real estate developer and former New York State Senator
William H. Reynolds.[35][9][36] Prior to his involvement in planning the
building, Reynolds was best known for developing Coney Island's
Dreamland amusement park. When the amusement park was destroyed by
fire in 1911, Reynolds turned his attention to Manhattan real estate, where
he set out to build the tallest building in the world.[35][9][37]
In 1921, Reynolds rented a large plot of land at the corner of Lexington

Avenue and 42nd Street with the intention of building a tall building on the
site.[9][36] In 1927, after several years of delays, Reynolds hired the
architect William Van Alen to design a forty-story building there.[38] Van
A view of the Chrysler Alen's original design featured many Modernist stylistic elements, with
Building from 42nd Street glazed, curved windows at the corners.[35]
Van Alen was respected in his field for his work on the Albemarle Building at Broadway and 24th Street,
designing it in collaboration with his partner H. Craig Severance.[39][40] Van Alen and Severance
complemented each other, with Van Alen being an original, imaginative architect and Severance being a
shrewd businessperson who handled the firm's finances.[41] However, the relationship between them
became tense over disagreements on how best to run the firm.[38] The breaking point came after a 1924
article in the Architectural Review, praising the Albemarle Building's design; Van Alen was attributed as the
designer in the firm, while Severance's role was altogether ignored.[42][43][44] The architects' partnership
dissolved acrimoniously several months later, with lawsuits over the firm's clients and assets lasting over a
year.[43][44] The rivalry ended up being decisive for the design of the future Chrysler Building, since
Severance's more traditional architectural style would otherwise have restrained Van Alen's more modern
outlook.[45]
Refinement of designs
By February 2, 1928, the proposed building's height had been increased to 54 stories, which would have
made it the tallest building in Midtown.[46] The proposal was changed again two weeks later, with official
plans for a 63-story building.[47] A little more than a week after that, the plan was changed for the third
time, with two additional stories added.[48] By this time, 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue were both
hubs for construction activity, due to the removal of the Third Avenue Elevated's 42nd Street spur, which
was seen as a blight on the area. The adjacent 56-story Chanin Building was also under construction.
Because of the elevated spur's removal, real estate speculators believed that Lexington Avenue would
become the "Broadway of the East Side", causing a ripple effect that would spur developments farther
east.[49]
In April 1928, Reynolds signed a 67-year lease for the plot and finalized the details of his ambitious
project.[50] Van Alen's original design for the skyscraper called for a base with first-floor showroom
windows that would be triple-height, and above would be 12 stories with glass-wrapped corners, to create
the impression that the tower was floating in mid-air.[36][51] Reynolds's main contribution to the building's
design was his insistence that it have a metallic crown, despite Van Alen's initial opposition;[5] the metal-
and-crystal crown would have looked like "a jeweled sphere" at night.[52] Originally, the skyscraper would
have risen 808 feet (246 m), with 67 floors.[8][53][51] These plans were approved in June 1928.[54] Van
Alen's drawings were unveiled in the following August and published in a magazine run by the American
Institute of Architects (AIA).[55]
Eventually, this design would prove too advanced and expensive for Reynolds.[6] He instead devised an
alternate design for the Reynolds Building, which was published in August 1928. The new design was
much more conservative, with an Italianate dome that a critic compared to Governor Al Smith's bowler hat,
and a brick arrangement on the upper floors that simulated windows in the corners, a detail that remains in
the current Chrysler Building. This design almost exactly reflected the shape, setbacks, and the layout of
the windows of the current building, but with a different dome.[36]
Final plans and start of construction
With the design complete, groundbreaking for the Reynolds Building took place on September 19, 1928,[6]
but Reynolds did not have the means to carry on construction.[56][37] Reynolds sold the plot, lease, plans,
and architect's services to Walter Chrysler for $2 million on October 15, 1928.[57][56][17] That same day,
the Goodwin Construction Company began demolition of what had been built.[58][17] A contract was
awarded on October 28,[59] and demolition was completed on November 9.[58] Chrysler's initial plans for
the building were similar to Reynolds's, but with the 808-foot building having 68 floors instead of 67. The
plans entailed a ground-floor pedestrian arcade; a facade of stone below the fifth floor and brick-and-
terracotta above; and a three-story bronze-and-glass "observation dome" at the top.[57][17] However,
Chrysler wanted a more progressive design, and he worked with Van Alen to redesign the skyscraper to be
925 ft (282 m) tall.[60][6] At the new height, Chrysler's building would be taller than the 792-foot (241 m)
Woolworth Building, a building in lower Manhattan that was the world's tallest at the time.[61][17] At one
point, Chrysler had requested that Van Alen shorten the design by ten floors, but reneged on that decision
after realizing that the increased height would also result in increased publicity.[62]
From late 1928 to early 1929, modifications to the design of the dome
continued.[38] In March 1929, the press published details of an "artistic
dome" that had the shape of a giant thirty-pointed star, which would be
crowned by a sculpture five meters high.[63][36][64] The final design of the
dome included several arches and triangular windows.[38] Lower down,
the design was affected by Walter Chrysler's intention to make the building
the Chrysler Corporation's headquarters, and as such, various architectural
details were modeled after Chrysler automobile products, such as the hood
ornaments of the Plymouth (see § Designs between setbacks).[36][8] The
building's gargoyles on the 31st floor and the eagles on the 61st floor, were
created to represent flight,[65] and to embody the machine age of the
time.[36][8] Even the topmost needle was built using a process similar to
one Chrysler used to manufacture his cars, with precise "hand One of the radiator cap–
craftmanship".[66] In his autobiography, Chrysler says he suggested that themed ornaments
his building be taller than the Eiffel Tower.[67][9]
Meanwhile, excavation of the new building's 69-foot-deep (21 m) foundation began in mid-November
1928[68][69] and was completed in mid-January 1929, when bedrock was reached.[58] A total of
105,000,000 pounds (48,000,000 kg) of rock and 36,000,000 pounds (16,000,000 kg) of soil were
excavated for the foundation, equal to 63% of the future building's weight.[69] Construction of the building
proper began on January 21, 1929.[58] The Carnegie Steel Company provided the steel beams, the first of
which was installed on March 27; and by April 9, the first upright beams had been set into place.[69] The
steel structure was "a few floors" high by June 1929, 35 floors high by early August,[69] and completed by
September.[27] Despite a frantic steelwork construction pace of about four floors per week,[6] no workers
died during the construction of the skyscraper's steelwork.[6][70] Chrysler lauded this achievement, saying,
"It is the first time that any structure in the world has reached such a height, yet the entire steel construction
was accomplished without loss of life".[70] In total, 391,881 rivets were used, and approximately 3,826,000
bricks were manually laid[6] to create the non-loadbearing walls of the skyscraper.[71] Walter Chrysler
personally financed the construction with his income from his car company.[72] The Chrysler Building's
height officially surpassed the Woolworth's on October 16, 1929, thereby becoming the world's tallest
structure.[73]
Competition for "world's tallest building" title
The same year that the Chrysler Building's construction started, banker George L. Ohrstrom proposed the
construction of a 47-story office building at 40 Wall Street downtown. Shortly thereafter, Ohrstrom
modified his project to have 60 floors, but it was still below Woolworth and the 808-foot Chrysler Building
project, as announced in 1928.[61] H. Craig Severance, Van Alen's former partner and the architect of 40
Wall Street, increased 40 Wall's height to 840 feet (260 m) with 62 floors in April of that year. It would thus
exceed the Woolworth's height by 48 feet (15 m) and the Chrysler's by 32 feet (9.8 m).[61] 40 Wall Street
and the Chrysler Building started competing for the distinction of "world's tallest building".[74][75] The
Empire State Building, on 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, entered the competition in 1929.[76] The race was
defined by at least five other proposals, although only the Empire State Building would survive the Wall
Street Crash of 1929.[77][b] The "Race into the Sky", as popular media called it at the time, was
representative of the country's optimism in the 1920s, which helped fuel the building boom in major
cities.[76] The 40 Wall Street tower was revised from 840 feet (260 m) to 925 feet in April 1929, which
would make it the world's tallest.[79] Severance then publicly claimed the title of the world's tallest
building.[80] Construction of 40 Wall Street began in May 1929 at a frantic pace, and it was completed
twelve months later.[61]
In response, Van Alen obtained permission for a 125-foot-long (38 m) spire[81][82][c] and had it secretly
constructed inside the frame of his building.[79][62] The spire was delivered to the site in four different
sections.[81] On October 23, 1929, one week after surpassing the Woolworth Building's height and one day
before the catastrophic Wall Street Crash of 1929 started, the spire was assembled. According to one
account, "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."[61] Then, within 90 minutes the rest of the spire's pieces were raised and riveted
in sequence,[83] helping raise the tower's height to 1,046 feet.[84][85] Van Alen, who witnessed the process
from the street along with its engineers and Walter Chrysler,[84] compared the experience to watching a
butterfly leaving its cocoon.[62][85]
In "The Structure and Metal Work of the Chrysler Building", an article published in the October 1930
edition of Architectural Forum, Van Alen explained the design and construction of the crown and
needle:[86][27]
A high spire structure with a needle-like termination was designed to surmount the dome. This
is 185 feet high and 8 feet square at its base. It was made up of four corner angles, with light
angle strut and diagonal members, all told weighing 27 tons. It was manifestly impossible to
assemble this structure and hoist it as a unit from the ground, and equally impossible to hoist it
in sections and place them as such in their final positions. Besides, it would be more
spectacular, for publicity value, to have this cloud-piercing needle appear unexpectedly.
The steel tip brought the Chrysler Building to a height of 1,046 feet (319 m), greatly exceeding 40 Wall
Street's height.[87] However, contemporary news media did not write of the spire's erection, nor were there
any press releases celebrating the spire's erection. Even the New York Herald Tribune, which had virtually
continuous coverage of the tower's construction, did not report on the spire's installation until days after the
spire had been raised.[88]
Chrysler realized that his tower's height would exceed the Empire State Building's as well, having ordered
Van Alen to change the Chrysler's original roof from a stubby Romanesque dome to the narrow steel
spire.[79] However, the Empire State's developer John J. Raskob reviewed the plans and realized that he
could add five more floors and a spire of his own to his 80-story building,[89] and subsequently acquired
the nearby plots needed to support that building's height extension.[90][91] Two days later, the Empire State
Building's co-developer, former Governor Al Smith, announced the updated plans for that skyscraper, with
an observation deck on the 86th-floor roof at a height of 1,050 feet (320 m), higher than the Chrysler's 71st-
floor observation deck at 783 feet (239 m).[89]
Completion
In January 1930, it was announced that the Chrysler Corporation would maintain offices in the Chrysler
Building during Automobile Show Week,[92] and the first leases by outside tenants were announced in
April 1930, before the building was officially completed.[93][1] The building was formally opened on May
27, 1930, in a ceremony that coincided with the 42nd Street Property Owners and Merchants Association's
meeting that year. In the lobby of the building, a bronze plaque that read "in recognition of Mr. Chrysler's
contribution to civic advancement" was unveiled. Former Governor Smith, former Assemblyman Martin G.
McCue, and 42nd Street Association president George W.
Sweeney were among those in attendance.[1][2] By June, it was
reported that 65% of the available space had been leased.[94] By
August, the building was declared complete, but the New York
City Department of Construction did not mark it as finished until
February 1932.[1]
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.[89] The Chrysler Building was The Chrysler Building in 1932
thus the first man-made structure to be taller than 1,000 feet
(300 m);[95] and as one newspaper noted, the tower was also taller
than the highest points of five states.[96] The Chrysler Building was appraised at $14 million, but was
exempt from city taxes per an 1859 law that gave tax exemptions to sites owned by the Cooper Union.[97]
The city had attempted to repeal the tax exemption, but Cooper Union had opposed that measure.[98]
Because the Chrysler Building retains the tax exemption, it has paid Cooper Union for the use of their land
since opening.[99]
Van Alen's satisfaction at these accomplishments was likely muted by Walter Chrysler's later refusal to pay
the balance of his architectural fee.[36] Chrysler alleged that Van Alen had received bribes from suppliers,
and Van Alen had not signed any contracts with Walter Chrysler when he took over the project.[37][38] Van
Alen sued and the courts ruled in his favor, requiring Chrysler to pay Van Alen $840,000, or 6% of the total
budget of the building.[100] However, the lawsuit against Chrysler markedly diminished Van Alen's
reputation as an architect, which, along with the effects of the Great Depression and negative criticism,
ended up ruining his career.[101][37][38] Van Alen ended his career as professor of sculpture at the nearby
Beaux-Arts Institute of Design and died in 1954. According to author Neal Bascomb, "The Chrysler
Building was his greatest accomplishment, and the one that guaranteed his obscurity."[38]
The Chrysler Building's distinction as the world's tallest building was short-lived. John Raskob realized the
1,050-foot Empire State Building would only be 4 feet (1.2 m) taller than the Chrysler Building,[89] and
Raskob was afraid that Walter Chrysler might try to "pull a trick like hiding a rod in the spire and then
sticking it up at the last minute."[102] Another revision brought the Empire State Building's roof to 1,250
feet (380 m), making it the tallest building in the world by far[103][104] when it opened on May 1, 1931.[3]
However, the Chrysler Building is still the world's tallest steel-supported brick building.[8] The Chrysler
Building fared better commercially than the Empire State Building did: by 1935, the Chrysler had already
rented 70% of its floor area,[105] while the Empire State had only leased 23% of its area[106] and was
popularly derided as the "Empty State Building".[107]
The Chrysler Corporation was not involved in the construction or ownership of the Chrysler Building,
although it was built and designed for the corporation. It was a project of Walter P. Chrysler for his
children.[36] In his autobiography, Chrysler wrote that he wanted to erect the building "so that his sons
would have something to be responsible for".[67][9]
Use
20th century
The Chrysler family inherited the property after the death of Walter Chrysler in 1940, with the property
being under the ownership of W.P. Chrysler Building Corporation.[108] In 1944, the corporation filed plans
to build a 38-story annex to the east of the building, at 666 Third Avenue.[109] In 1949, this was revised to
a 32-story annex costing $9 million.[110] The annex building,
designed by Reinhard, Hofmeister & Walquist,[111][112] had a
facade similar to that of the original Chrysler Building. The
stone for the original building was no longer manufactured,
and had to be specially replicated.[113] Construction started on
the annex in June 1950,[114] and the first tenants started
leasing in June 1951.[115] The building itself was completed
by 1952,[111] and a sky bridge connecting the two buildings'
seventh floors was built in 1959.[116]
The family sold the building in 1953 to William

Height comparison of buildings in New
Zeckendorf[117] for its assessed price of $18 million.[118] The
York City
1953 deal included the annex and the nearby Graybar
Building, which, along with the Chrysler Building, sold for a
combined $52 million. The new owners were Zeckendorf's
company Webb and Knapp, who held a 75% interest in the sale, and the Graysler Corporation, who held a
25% stake. At the time, it was reported to be the largest real estate sale in New York City's history.[119][120]
In 1957, the Chrysler Building, its annex, and the Graybar Building were sold for $66 million to Lawrence
Wien's realty syndicate, setting a new record for the largest sale in the city.[121] In 1960, the complex was
purchased by Sol Goldman and Alex DiLorenzo,[122] who received a mortgage from the Massachusetts
Mutual Life Insurance Company.[123] In 1961, the building's stainless steel elements, including the needle,
crown, gargoyles, and entrance doors, were polished for the first time.[124][125] A group of ten workers
steam-cleaned the facade below the 30th floor, and manually cleaned the portion of the tower above the
30th floor, for a cost of about $200,000.[125]
Massachusetts Mutual obtained outright ownership in 1975 after Goldman and DiLorenzo defaulted on the
mortgage.[123][126] The company purchased the building for $35 million.[126] In 1978, they devised plans
to renovate the facade, heating, ventilation, air‐conditioning, elevators, lobby murals, and Cloud Club
headquarters in a $23 million project.[126] This renovation was completed in 1979.[127][128] They
delegated the leasing of the building's space to the Edward S. Gordon Company, which leased 750,000
square feet (70,000 m2 ) of vacant space within five years.[129] During Massachusetts Mutual's ownership
of the Chrysler Building, the tower received two historic designations. The building was designated as a
National Historic Landmark in 1976,[11][130] and as a New York City Landmark in 1978,[9] although the
city only landmarked the lobby and facade.[131] Massachusetts Mutual had opposed the city landmark
designation because it "would cause 'inevitable delay' in moving new tenants into the skyscraper".[132] At
the time, the building had 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2 ) of vacant floor space, representing 40% of the
total floor area.[126] In September 1979, the building was sold again, this time to entrepreneur and
Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke, in a deal that also transferred ownership of the Los Angeles
Kings and Lakers to Jerry Buss.[128][133]
The spire underwent a restoration that was completed in 1995. The joints in the now-closed observation
deck were polished, and the facade restored, as part of a $1.5 million project. Some damaged steel strips of
the needle were replaced and several parts of the gargoyles were re-welded together.[134] The cleaning
received the New York Landmarks Conservancy's Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award for 1997.[135]
Cooke died in 1997, and creditors moved to foreclose on the estate's unpaid fees soon after.[136] Tishman
Speyer Properties and the Travelers Insurance Group bought the Chrysler Center in 1997–1998 for about
$220 million (equal to $350 million in 2020) from a consortium of banks and the estate of Jack Kent
Cooke. Tishman Speyer Properties had negotiated a 150-year lease from the Cooper Union, and the college
continues to own the land under the Chrysler Building.[117] Cooper Union's name is on the deed.[99]
21st century
In 2001, a 75% stake in the building was sold, for US$300 million (equal to $440 million in 2020), to
TMW, the German arm of an Atlanta-based investment fund.[137] In June 2008, it was reported that the
Abu Dhabi Investment Council was in negotiations to buy TMW's 75% economic interest, a 15% interest
from Tishman Speyer Properties in the building, and a share of the Trylons retail structure next door for
US$800 million.[138] In July 2008, it was announced that the transaction had been completed, and that the
Abu Dhabi Investment Council was now 90% owner of the building, with Tishman Speyer retaining
10%.[139][140]
From 2010 to 2011, the building's energy, plumbing, and waste management systems were renovated. This
resulted in a 21% decrease in the building's total energy consumption, a 64% decrease in water
consumption, and an 81% rate of waste being recycled. In 2012, the building received a LEED Gold
accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council, which recognized the building's environmental
sustainability and energy efficiency.[141]
The Abu Dhabi Investment Council and Tishman Speyer put the Chrysler Building on sale again in
January 2019.[142][143] It was reported in March 2019 that Aby Rosen's RFR Holding LLC, in a joint
venture with the Austrian SIGNA Group, had reached an agreement to purchase the Chrysler
Building,[7][144] albeit at a steeply discounted price, for US$150 million.[145][146]
Design
The Chrysler Building is considered a leading example of Art
Deco architecture.[147][148] It is constructed of a steel frame in-
filled with masonry, with areas of decorative metal cladding. The
structure contains 3,862 exterior windows.[8] Approximately fifty
metal ornaments protrude at the building's corners on five floors
reminiscent of gargoyles on Gothic cathedrals.[149] The 31st-floor
contains gargoyles[65] and replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator
caps,[150][151] the 61st-floor eagles,[65] a nod to America's
national bird.[152]
The Chrysler Building uses bright "Nirosta"[153] stainless steel

extensively in its design, an austenitic alloy developed in Germany
by Krupp[154][155] (a German acronym for nichtrostender Stahl,
meaning "non-rusting steel").[36][156] It was the first use of this The building's distinctive Art Deco
"18-8 stainless steel" in an American project, [157] composed of crown and spire
18% chromium and 8% nickel. [156] Nirosta was used in the
exterior ornaments, the window frames, the crown, and the
needle.[158] The steel was an integral part of Van Alen's design, as E.E. Thum explains: "The use of
permanently bright metal was of greatest aid in the carrying of rising lines and the diminishing circular
forms in the roof treatment, so as to accentuate the gradual upward swing until it literally dissolves into the
sky...."[149][159] Stainless steel producers used the Chrysler Building to evaluate the durability of the
product in architecture. In 1929, the American Society for Testing Materials created an inspection
committee to study its performance, which regarded the Chrysler Building as the best location to do so; a
subcommittee examined the building's panels every five years until 1960, when the inspections were
canceled because the panels had shown minimal deterioration.[152]
Form
The Chrysler Building's height and legally mandated setbacks
Ornaments resembling:
influenced Van Alen in his design.[155] The walls of the lowermost
sixteen floors rise directly from the sidewalk property lines, except for
a recess on one side that gives the building a "U"-shaped floor plan
above the fourth floor.[35][160] There are setbacks on floors 16, 18,
23, 28, and 31, making the building compliant with the 1916 Zoning
Resolution. This gives the building the appearance of a ziggurat on
one side and a U-shaped palazzo on the other.[160] Above the 31st
floor, there are no more setbacks until the 60th floor, above which the
structure is funneled into a Maltese cross shape[161] that "blends the Hood ornaments
square shaft to the finial", according to author and photographer (31st floor)
Cervin Robinson.[160]
The floor plans of the first sixteen floors were made as large as
possible to optimize the amount of rental space nearest ground level,
which was seen as most desirable. The U-shaped cut above the fourth
floor served as a shaft for air flow and illumination. The area between
floors 28 and 31 added "visual interest to the middle of the building,
preventing it from being dominated by the heavy detail of the lower
floors and the eye-catching design of the finial. They provide a base
to the column of the tower, effecting a transition between the blocky
lower stories and the lofty shaft."[160] Hubcaps and fenders
(31st floor)
Facade
Base and shaft
The ground floor exterior is covered in polished black granite from

Shastone, while the three floors above it are clad in white marble
from Georgia. There are two main entrances, on Lexington Avenue
and on 42nd Street, each three floors high with Shastone granite
surrounding each proscenium-shaped entryway. At some distance
into each main entryway, there are revolving doors "beneath
intricately patterned metal and glass screens", designed so as to
embody the Art Deco tenet of amplifying the entrance's visual impact. Eagles
A smaller side entrance on 43rd Street is one story high.[57][155][162] (61st floor)
There are storefronts consisting of large Nirosta-steel-framed
windows at ground level, with office windows on the second through
fourth floors.[155]
The west and east elevations of the building contain the air shafts
above the fourth floor, while the north and south sides contain the receding setbacks.[155] Below the 16th
floor, the facade is clad with white brick interrupted by white-marble bands in a manner similar to a basket
weaving.[163] The windows, arranged in grids, do not have window sills, the frames being flush with the
facade.[155] Between the 16th and 24th floors, the exterior exhibits vertical white brick columns that are
separated by windows on each floor. This visual effect is made possible by the presence of aluminum
spandrels between the columns of windows on each floor. There are abstract reliefs on the 20th through
22nd-floor spandrels, while the 24th floor contains 9-foot (2.7 m) decorative pineapples.[155]
Above the third setback, consisting of the 24th through 27th floors, the facade contains horizontal bands
and zigzagged gray-and-black brick motifs. The section above the fourth setback, between the 27th and
31st floors, serves as a podium for the main shaft of the building.[35][155] At each corner of the 31st floor,
large car-hood ornaments made of Nirosta steel serve as visually striking objects that make the base look
larger. These corner extensions help counter a common optical illusion seen in tall buildings with horizontal
bands, whose taller floors would normally look larger.[160][161] The 31st floor also contains a gray and
white frieze of hubcaps and fenders,[57][5] which symbolizes both the Chrysler Corporation and serves as a
visual signature of the building's Art Deco design.[8][36][57] The bonnet embellishments take the shape of
Mercury's winged helmet and resemble hood ornaments installed on Chrysler vehicles at the time.[161]
The shaft of the tower was designed to emphasize both the horizontal and vertical: each of the tower's four
sides contains three columns of windows, each framed by bricks and an unbroken marble pillar that rises
along the entirety of each side. The spandrels separating the windows contain "alternating vertical stripes in
gray and white brick", while each corner contains horizontal rows of black brick.[164]
Crown and spire
The Chrysler Building is renowned for, and recognized by, its terraced
crown, which is an extension of the main tower.[160] Composed of seven
radiating terraced arches, Van Alen's design of the crown is a cruciform
groin vault of seven concentric members with transitioning setbacks,
mounted one behind another.[57][165] The entire crown is clad with Nirosta
steel, ribbed and riveted in a radiating sunburst pattern with many
triangular vaulted windows, reminiscent of the spokes of a
wheel.[57][36][166] The windows are repeated, in smaller form, on the
terraced crown's seven narrow setbacks.[36][166] Due to the curved shape
of the dome, the Nirosta sheets had to be measured on site, so most of the
work was carried out in workshops on the building's 67th and 75th
floors.[27] According to Robinson, the terraced crown "continue[s] the
Detail of the Art Deco
wedding-cake layering of the building itself. This concept is carried
ornamentation at the crown
forward from the 61st floor, whose eagle gargoyles echo the treatment of
the 31st, to the spire, which extends the concept of 'higher and narrower'
forward to infinite height and infinitesimal width. This unique treatment
emphasizes the building's height, giving it an other worldly atmosphere reminiscent of the fantastic
architecture of Coney Island or the Far East."[160]
Television station WCBS-TV (Channel 2) originated its transmission from the top of the Chrysler Building
in 1938.[167] WCBS-TV transmissions were shifted to the Empire State Building in 1960[168] in response
to competition from RCA's transmitter on that building.[169] For many years WPAT-FM and WTFM (now
WKTU) also transmitted from the Chrysler Building, but their move to the Empire State Building by the
1970s ended commercial broadcasting from the structure.[168]
The crown and spire are illuminated by a combination of fluorescent lights framing the crown's distinctive
triangular windows and colored floodlights that face toward the building, allowing it to be lit in a variety of
schemes for special occasions.[8] The V-shaped fluorescent "tube lighting" – hundreds of 480V 40W bulbs
framing 120 window openings[170] – was added in 1981, although it had been part of the original
design.[52][131] Until 1998, the lights were turned off at 2 a.m., but The New York Observer columnist Ron
Rosenbaum convinced Tishman Speyer to keep the lights on until 6 a.m.[171] Since 2015, the Chrysler
Building and other city skyscrapers have been part of the Audubon Society's Lights Out program, turning
off their lights during bird migration seasons.[172]
Interior
The interior of the building contains several innovative elements. The

partitions between the offices are soundproofed and divided into
interchangeable sections, so that the layout of any could be changed
quickly and comfortably. Pipes under the floors carry both telephone and
electricity cables.[164]
Lobby
Illumination of the building at

night
Lobby Art Deco lamp
Entrance doors Futuristic digital clock
The triangular lobby[173][174][162] is regarded as a paragon of the Art Deco style, with clear influences of
German Expressionism.[5] Chrysler wanted the design to impress other architects and automobile magnates,
so he imported various materials without giving consideration to the extra costs incurred.[175] He covered
the walls with huge slabs of African red granite.[175][99] On the floor, he marked a path from the entrances
to the elevators using travertine from Siena.[176][174][177] Originally, Van Alen's plans for the lobby
included four large supporting columns, but they were removed after Chrysler objected on the grounds that
the columns made the lobby appear "cramped".[174] Opposite the main entrance is a security guard's desk
topped by a digital clock.[177]
The lobby has dim lighting that gives it a somewhat subdued quality, although the appliqués of the lamps
are striking and iconic. Both combine to create an intimate atmosphere and act to highlight the
place.[175][177] Vertical bars of fluorescent light are covered with Belgian blue marble and Mexican amber
onyx, which soften and diffuse the light, to both illuminate and blend with the red marble walls.[178] The
lobby also contains four elevator banks, each with a different design.[148][174]
The ceiling contains a 110-by-67-foot (34 by 20 m) mural named "Transport and Human Endeavor",
commissioned from Edward Trumbull in 1930. The mural's theme is "energy and man's application of it to
the solution of his problems", and it pays homage to the Golden Age of Aviation and the Machine
Age.[179][174][177] The mural is painted in the shape of a "Y" with ocher and golden tones. The central
image of the mural is a "muscled giant whose brain directs his boundless energy to the attainment of the
triumphs of this mechanical era", according to a 1930 pamphlet that advertised the building. The mural's
Art Deco style is manifested in characteristic triangles, sharp angles, slightly curved lines, chrome
ornaments, and numerous patterns.[179] The mural depicts several silver planes, including the Spirit of St.
Louis, as well as furnaces of incandescent steel and the building itself.[180][5] There is a wall panel
dedicated to the work of clinchers, surveyors, masons, carpenters, plasterers, and builders. Fifty different
figures were modeled after workers who participated in its construction.[180] In 1999, the mural was
returned to its original state after a restoration that removed the polyurethane coating and filled-in holes
added in the 1970s.[179]
Presently, the lobby is the only publicly accessible part of the Chrysler Building.[181]: 129 [99] When the
building opened, the first and second floors housed a public exhibition of Chrysler vehicles.[176][182][183]
The exhibition, known as the Chrysler Automobile Salon, was near the corner of Lexington Avenue and
42nd Streets, and opened in 1936.[184] The ground floor featured "invisible glass" display
windows,[185][186][187] a 51-foot (16 m) diameter turntable upon which automobiles were displayed, and a
ceiling with lights arranged in concentric circles.[185][186][188] Escalators led to the showroom's second
floor where Plymouths, Dodges, and DeSotos were sold.[189] The Chrysler Salon remained operational
through at least the 1960s.[190]
Elevators
There are 32 elevators in the

skyscraper, clustered into four
banks.[177][191] At the time of
opening, 28 of these elevators
were for passenger use.[192] Each
bank serves different floors within
the building, with several
"express" elevators going from the
lobby to a few landings in
between, while "local" elevators
connect the landings with the Open doors Closed doors Elevator interior with
floors above these intermediate inlaid wood
landings.[193] As per Walter
Chrysler's wishes, the elevators
were designed to run at a rate of 900 feet per minute (270 m/min),[63] despite the 700-foot-per-minute
(210 m/min) speed restriction enforced in all city elevators at the time.[164] This restriction was loosened
soon after the Empire State Building opened in 1931, as that building had also been equipped with high-
speed elevators.[194] The Chrysler Building also had three of the longest elevator shafts in the world at the
time of completion.[177][164]
Over the course of a year, Van Alen painstakingly designed these elevators with the assistance of L.T.M.
Ralston, who was in charge of developing the elevator cabs' mechanical parts.[191] The cabs were
manufactured by the Otis Elevator Company,[195][196] while the doors were made by the Tyler Company.
The dimensions of each elevator were 5.5 feet (1.7 m) deep by 8 feet (2.4 m) wide.[191] The doors are
made of metal and covered with eight types of exotic woods.[37] When the doors are closed, they resemble
"tall fans set off by metallic palm fronds rising through a series of silver parabolas, whose edges were set
off by curved lilies" from the outside, as noted by Curcio. However, when a set of doors is open, the cab
behind the doors resembles "an exquisite Art Deco room".[191] These elements were influenced by ancient
Egyptian designs, which significantly impacted the Art Deco style.[192] According to Vincent Curcio,
"these elevator interiors were perhaps the single most beautiful and, next to the dome, the most important
feature of the entire building."[191]
Even though the woods in the elevator cabs were arranged in four basic patterns, each cab had a unique
combination of woods.[177][191] Curcio stated that "if anything the building is based on patterned fabrics,
[the elevators] certainly are. Three of the designs could be characterized as having 'geometric', 'Mexican'
and vaguely 'art nouveau' motifs, which reflect the various influences on the design of the entire
building."[191] The roof of each elevator was covered with a metal plate whose design was unique to that
cab, which in turn was placed on a polished wooden pattern that was also customized to the cab. Hidden
behind these plates were ceiling fans.[192] Curcio wrote that these elevators "are among the most beautiful
small enclosed spaces in New York, and it is fair to say that no one who has seen or been in them has
forgotten them".[191] Curcio compared the elevators to the curtains of a Ziegfeld production, noting that
each lobby contains lighting that peaks in the middle and slopes down on either side.[191] The decoration of
the cabs' interiors was also a nod to the Chrysler Corporation's vehicles: cars built during the building's
early years had dashboards with wooden moldings.[5] Both the doors and cab interiors were considered to
be works of extraordinary marquetry.[197]
Basement
On the 42nd Street side of the Chrysler Building, a staircase from the street leads directly under the building
to the New York City Subway's 4, 5, 6, <6>, 7, <7>, and S trains at Grand Central–42nd Street
station.[198][199] It is part of the structure's original design.[177][200] The Interborough Rapid Transit
Company, which at the time was the operator of all the routes serving the 42nd Street station, originally
sued to block construction of the new entrance because it would cause crowding,[201] but the New York
City Board of Transportation pushed to allow the corridor anyway.[202] Chrysler eventually built and paid
for the building's subway entrance.[164] Work on the new entrance started in March 1930[203] and it
opened along with the Chrysler Building two months later.[204]
The basement also had a "hydrozone water bottling unit" that would filter tap water into drinkable water for
the building's tenants. The drinkable water would then be bottled and shipped to higher floors.[205]
Upper stories
Cloud Club
The private Cloud Club formerly occupied the 66th through 68th floors.[131] It opened in July 1930 with
some three hundred members, all wealthy males who formed the city's elite.[157][206][207] Its creation was
spurred by Texaco's wish for a proper restaurant for its executives prior to renting fourteen floors in the
building. The Cloud Club was a compromise between William Van Alen's modern style and Walter
Chrysler's stately and traditional tastes.[206] A member had to be elected, and if accepted, paid an initial fee
of $200, plus a $150 to $300 annual fee.[208]
There was a Tudor-style foyer on the 66th floor with oak paneling, and an
old English-style grill room with wooden floors, wooden beams, wrought-
iron chandeliers, and glass and lead doors.[177][157][206] The main dining
room, on the 67th floor, was connected to the 66th floor by a Renaissance-
style marble and bronze staircase and had a futuristic appearance, with
polished granite columns and etched glass appliqués in Art Deco
style.[177][207] There was a mural of a cloud on the ceiling, and a mural of
Manhattan on the dining room's north side.[206] It is believed that the
dining room was an inspiration for the Rainbow Room and the Rockefeller
Center Luncheon Club, both at 30 Rockefeller Center.[209] On the same
floor, Walter Chrysler and Texaco both had private dining rooms.[207]
Chrysler's dining room had a black and frosted-blue glass frieze of
automobile workers.[177] The 68th floor mainly contained service View from one of the north-
spaces.[207] facing triangular windows
In the 1950s and 1960s, members left the Cloud Club for other clubs.
Texaco, whose executives comprised most of the Cloud Club's membership, moved to Westchester County
in 1977,[210] and the club closed two years later.[206] Although there have been several projects to
rehabilitate the club or transform it into a disco or a gastronomic club, these plans have never
materialized,[207][211] as then-owner Cooke reportedly did not want a "conventional" restaurant operating
within the old club.[212] Tishman Speyer rented the top two floors of the old Cloud Club.[213] The old
staircase has been removed, as have many of the original decorations,[207] which prompted objections from
the Art Deco Society of New York.[211]
Private Chrysler offices
Originally, Walter Chrysler had a two-story apartment on the 69th and 70th floors with a fireplace and a
private office. The office also contained a gymnasium and the loftiest bathrooms in the city.[37] The office
had a medieval ambience with leaded windows, elaborate wooden doors, and heavy plaster.[177] Chrysler
did not use his gym much, instead choosing to stay at the Chrysler Corporation's headquarters in
Detroit.[99] Subsequently, the 69th and 70th floors were converted into a dental clinic.[211] In 2005, a
report by The New York Times found that one of the dentists, Charles Weiss, had operated at the clinic's
current rooftop location since 1969.[214] The office still had the suite's original bathroom and
gymnasium.[211] Chrysler also had a unit on the 58th through 60th floors, which served as his
residence.[215]
Observation deck
From the building's opening until 1945, it contained a 3,900 square feet (360 m2 ) observation deck on the
71st floor, called "Celestial".[216][208] For fifty cents visitors could transit its circumference through a
corridor with vaulted ceilings painted with celestial motifs and bedecked with small hanging glass
planets.[5][208][217] The center of the observatory contained the toolbox that Walter P. Chrysler used at the
beginning of his career as a mechanic;[131][27][164][218] it was later preserved at the Chrysler Technology
Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan.[219] An image of the building resembling a rocket hung above it.[208]
According to a contemporary brochure, views of up to 100 miles (160 km) were possible on a clear
day;[217] but the small triangular windows of the observatory created strange angles that made viewing
difficult, depressing traffic. When the Empire State Building opened in 1931 with two observatories at a
higher elevation, the Chrysler observatory lost its clientele.[27]
After the observatory closed, it was used to house radio and television broadcasting equipment.[220] Since
1986, the old observatory has housed the office of architects Harvey Morse and Cowperwood
Interests.[220][221] As of May 2020, a new observation deck has been proposed for the 61st floor of the
building. The new deck will take advantage of that floor's setbacks to create an outdoor space.[222]
Attic
The stories above the 71st floor are designed mostly for exterior appearance, functioning mainly as landings
for the stairway to the spire and do not contain office space.[223] They are very narrow, have low and
sloping roofs, and are only used to house radio transmitters and other mechanical and electrical
equipment.[36] For example, the 73rd floor houses the motors of the elevators and a 15,000-US-gallon
(57,000 L) water tank, of which 3,500 US gallons (13,000 L) are reserved for extinguishing fires.[221]
Chrysler Center
Chrysler Center is the name of the building complex consisting of the
Chrysler Building, Chrysler Building East, and the commercial pavilion
between the two, called Chrysler Trylons. In 1998, Tishman Speyer
acquired the entire complex[117] and renovated it completely over the
next two years.[224]
The Chrysler Building annex at 666 Third Avenue, also known as the
Kent Building at the time, was renovated and renamed Chrysler Building
East.[224] This International Style building, built in 1952,[111] is 432 feet
(132 m) high and has 32 floors.[225][226] The mechanical systems were
modernized and the interior was modified. Renowned architect Philip
Johnson replaced the glass facade with darker glass and added a 135,000
square feet (12,500 m2 ) extension.[226][227] After the addition, the total Chrysler East (at left), seen
area of this building was 770,000 square feet (72,000 m2 ).[228] next to the original building
Finally, a new building, which was also designed by Philip Johnson, was
built between the original skyscraper and the annex.[229] This became
the Chrysler Trylons, a commercial pavilion three stories high with a
retail area of 22,000 square feet (2,000 m2 ). Its design, consisting of
three triangular glass pyramids that intersect each other, was inspired by
the triangular windows of the Chrysler Building's crown. The building's
design was so complex that a replica was built at Rimouski, Quebec.
Johnson designed Chrysler Trylons as "a monument for 42nd Street [...]
to give you the top of the Chrysler Building at street level."[224]
After these modifications, the total leasable area of the complex was
2,062,772 square feet (191,637.8 m2 ).[228] The total cost of this project
was about one hundred million dollars.[224] This renovation has won Chrysler Trylons
several awards and commendations, including an Energy Star rating
from the Environmental Protection Agency;[230] a LEED Gold
designation;[141] and the Skyscraper Museum Outstanding Renovation Award of 2001.[231]
Tenants
The Chrysler Corporation moved into the building as an anchor tenant in 1930.[92] In addition to the
Chrysler Salon on the first and second floors, parts of the building had the Chrysler Corporation's offices,
as well as a lounge and a theater for showing films of Chrysler products.[189] Other original large tenants
included Time, Inc. and Texaco oil.[232] Needing more office space,[233] Time moved to Rockefeller
Center in 1937.[234][235] Texaco relocated to a more suburban workplace in Purchase, New York, in
1977.[210] In addition, the offices of Shaw Walker and J. S. Bache & Company were immediately atop the
Chrysler Salon, while A. B. Dick, Pan American World Airways, Adams Hats, Schrafft's, and Florsheim
Shoes also had offices in the building.[236]
Notable modern tenants include:
Creative Artists Agency[237]

Clyde & Co[238]
InterMedia Partners[239]
IWG[240]
Outfront Media
Troutman Sanders[140]
YES Network[241]
Impact
Critical reception
The completed Chrysler Building garnered mixed reviews in the press. Van Alen was hailed as the "Doctor
of Altitude" by Architect magazine, while architect Kenneth Murchison called Van Alen the "Ziegfeld of
his profession", comparing him to popular Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld Jr..[39][242] The building
was praised for being "an expression of the intense activity and vibrant life of our day", and for "teem[ing]
with the spirit of modernism, ... the epitome of modern business life, stand[ing] for progress in architecture
and in modern building methods."[164][243][244] An anonymous critic wrote in Architectural Forum's
October 1930 issue: "The Chrysler...stands by itself, something apart and alone. It is simply the realization,
the fulfillment in metal and masonry, of a one-man dream, a dream of such ambitions and such magnitude
as to defy the comprehension and the criticism of ordinary men or by ordinary standards."[27][223]
Conversely, journalist George S. Chappell called the Chrysler's design "distinctly a stunt design, evolved to
make the man in the street look up".[39][177] Douglas Haskell stated that the building "embodies no
compelling, organic idea",[39] and alleged that Van Alen had abandoned "some of his best innovations in
behalf of stunts and new 'effects'".[57] Others compared the Chrysler Building to "an upended
swordfish",[150][245] or claimed it had a "Little Nemo"-like design.[150] Lewis Mumford, a supporter of the
International Style and one of the foremost architectural critics of the United States at the time, despised the
building for its "inane romanticism, meaningless voluptuousness, [and] void symbolism".[23][246][164] The
public also had mixed reviews of the Chrysler Building, as Murchison wrote: "Some think it's a freak; some
think it's a stunt."[101][242]
Later reviews were more positive. Architect Robert A. M. Stern wrote that the Chrysler Building was "the
most extreme example of the [1920s and 1930s] period's stylistic experimentation", as contrasted with 40
Wall Street and its "thin" detailing.[247] George H. Douglas wrote in 2004 that the Chrysler Building
"remains one of the most appealing and awe-inspiring of skyscrapers".[95] Architect Le Corbusier called
the building "hot jazz in stone and steel".[174] Architectural critic Ada Louise Huxtable stated that the
building had "a wonderful, decorative, evocative aesthetic", while Paul Goldberger noted the "compressed,
intense energy" of the lobby, the "magnificent" elevators, and the "magical" view from the crown.[248]
The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission said that the tower "embodies the romantic essence of the
New York City skyscraper".[9] The travel guide Frommer's gave the building an "exceptional"
recommendation, with author Pauline Frommer writing, "In the Chrysler Building we see the roaring-
twenties version of what Alan Greenspan called 'irrational exuberance'—a last burst of corporate
headquarter building before stocks succumbed to the thudding crash of 1929."[249]
As icon
The Chrysler Building appears in several films set in New York[250] and is widely considered one of the
most positively acclaimed buildings in the city.[251][36] A 1996 survey of New York architects revealed it
as their favorite, and The New York Times described it in 2005 as "the single most important emblem of
architectural imagery on the New York skyline".[23] In mid-2005, the Skyscraper Museum in Lower
Manhattan asked 100 architects, builders, critics, engineers, historians, and scholars, among others, to
choose their 10 favorites among 25 of the city's towers. The Chrysler Building came in first place, with 90
respondents placing it on their ballots.[252] In 2007, the building ranked ninth among 150 buildings in the
AIA's List of America's Favorite Architecture.[253]
The Chrysler Building is widely heralded as an Art Deco icon. Fodor's New York City 2010 described the
building as being "one of the great art deco masterpieces"[181]: 123 which "wins many a New Yorker's vote
for the city's most iconic and beloved skyscraper".[181]: 129 Frommer's states that the Chrysler was "one of
the most impressive Art Deco buildings ever constructed".[249] Insight Guides' 2016 edition maintains that
the Chrysler Building is considered among the city's "most beautiful" buildings.[254] Its distinctive profile
has inspired similar skyscrapers worldwide including One Liberty Place in Philadelphia,[255] Two
Prudential Plaza in Chicago,[256] and the Al Kazim Towers in Dubai.[257]
In popular culture
While seen in many films, the Chrysler Building almost never appears as a main setting in them, prompting
architect and author James Sanders to quip it should win "the Award for Best Supporting Skyscraper".[250]
The building was supposed to be featured in the 1933 film King Kong, but only makes a cameo at the end
thanks to its producers opting for the Empire State Building in a central role.[250] The Chrysler Building
notably appears in the background of The Wiz (1978); as the setting of much of Q - The Winged Serpent
(1982); in the initial credits of The Shadow of the Witness (1987); and during or after apocalyptic events in
Independence Day (1996), Armageddon (1998), Deep Impact (1998), Godzilla (1998), and A.I. Artificial
Intelligence (2001).[250] The building also appears in other films, such as Spider-Man (2002),[258]
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007),[259] Two Weeks Notice (2002),[250] The Sorcerer's
Apprentice (2010)[260] and Men in Black 3 (2012).[261] In The Avengers (2012), Thor uses the building as
an apparent amplifier to increase the effectiveness of his hammer's lighting power.[262]
The Chrysler Building is frequently the subject of photographers. In December 1929, Walter Chrysler hired
the famed Margaret Bourke-White to capture it for publicity purposes. She took the images from a scaffold
400 feet (120 m) high[263][264][265] and worked in a 61st-floor studio designed by John Vassos,[263][248]
until she was evicted in 1934.[248] According to one account, Bourke-White wanted to live in the building
for the duration of the photo shoot, but the only person able to do so was the janitor, so she was instead
relegated to co-leasing a studio with Time Inc.[248] In 1930, several of her photographs were used in a
special report on skyscrapers in the then-new Fortune magazine.[266] In 1934, Bourke-White's partner
Oscar Graubner took a famous photo called "Margaret Bourke-White atop the Chrysler Building", which
depicts her taking a photo of the city's skyline while sitting on one of the 61st-floor eagle
ornaments.[263][267] On October 5, 1998, Christie's auctioned the photograph for $96,000.[268] In addition,
during a January 1931 dance organized by the Society of Beaux-Arts, six architects, including Van Alen,
were photographed while wearing costumes resembling the buildings that each architect designed.[269][270]
The building is also mentioned in the lyrics of several songs,[271] as well as in the number "It's the Hard
Knock Life" for the musical Annie.[272] In the Squaresoft (now Square Enix) videogame Parasite Eve, the
building is the setting for the post-game content.[273]
See also
Architecture of New York City
List of buildings and structures
List of New York City Landmarks
List of tallest buildings and structures in the world
List of tallest buildings in the United States
List of tallest buildings in New York City
List of tallest freestanding structures in the world
List of tallest freestanding steel structures
National Register of Historic Places listings in New York County, New York
References
Notes
a. As per the 1916 Zoning Act, the wall of any given tower that faces a street could only rise to
a certain height, proportionate to the street's width, at which point the building had to be set
back by a given proportion. This system of setbacks would continue until the tower reaches
a floor level in which that level's floor area was 25% that of the ground level's area. After that
25% threshold was reached, the building could rise without restriction.[29] This law was
superseded by the 1961 Zoning Resolution.[30]
b. These proposals included the 100-story Metropolitan Life North Building; a 1,050-foot
(320 m) tower built by Abraham E. Lefcourt at Broadway and 49th Street; a 100-story tower
developed by the Fred F. French Company on Sixth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets;
an 85-story tower to be developed on the site of the Belmont Hotel near Grand Central
Terminal; and the Noyes-Schulte Company's proposed tower on Broadway between Duane
and Worth Streets. Only one of these projects was even partially completed: the base of the
Metropolitan Life North Building.[78]
c. According to Robert A. M. Stern, the spire was 185 feet (56 m) long.[62]
Citations
1. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1978, p. 2.
2. "Chrysler Building, City's Highest, Open" (https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1
930/05/28/96134315.pdf) (PDF). The New York Times. May 28, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331 (http
s://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved November 4, 2017.
3. Tauranac 2014, pp. 227–228.
4. "Chrysler Building" (http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/wd/422). CTBUH Skyscraper
Center.
5. Nash & McGrath 1999, p. 63.
6. Massey, Kenneth L. "History of Walter P. Chrysler and the Chrysler Building" (http://www.allp
ar.com/history/chrysler-building.html). Allpar. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
7. Seythal, Thomas (March 15, 2019). Hummel, Tassilo (ed.). "Austria's Signa, RFR Holding
buy New York's Chrysler Building" (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-property-chrysler
building/austrias-signa-rfr-holding-buy-new-yorks-chrysler-building-idUSKCN1QW210).
Reuters. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
8. Chrysler Building (https://www.emporis.com/buildings/114867) at Emporis
10. "National Register Information System" (https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP). National Register
of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
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Dupré, Judith (2013). Skyscrapers: A History of the World's Most Extraordinary Buildings-
Revised and Updated (https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/8-bXwAEACAAJ?hl=en).
New York: Hachette/Black Dog & Leventhal. pp. 36–37. ISBN 978-1-57912-942-2.
Terranova, Antonio; Manferto, Valeria (2003). Skyscrapers (https://books.google.com/books?
id=sH6UAAAACAAJ). Vercelli, Italy: White Star. ISBN 88-8095-230-7.
Willis, Carol (1995). Form Follows Finance: Skyscrapers and Skylines in New York and
Chicago (https://books.google.com/books?id=8ITT7GXSQnIC). Princeton Architectural
Press. ISBN 978-1-56898-044-7.
External links
Official website (http://www.chryslerbuilding.com/)
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Chrysler Building

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Coordinates: 40°45′06″N 73°58′31″W

Originally a project of real estate developer and former New

When the Chrysler Building opened, there were mixed reviews

Originally, the Chrysler Building was to be the Reynolds Building, a

In 1921, Reynolds rented a large plot of land at the corner of Lexington

Final plans and start of construction

Competition for "world's tallest building" title

The added height of the spire allowed the Chrysler Building to

The family sold the building in 1953 to William

The Chrysler Building uses bright "Nirosta"[153] stainless steel

Base and shaft

The ground floor exterior is covered in polished black granite from

Crown and spire

The interior of the building contains several innovative elements. The

Illumination of the building at

Lobby Art Deco lamp

Entrance doors Futuristic digital clock

There are 32 elevators in the

Private Chrysler offices

Notable modern tenants include:

Creative Artists Agency[237]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chrysler_Building&oldid=1052379964"

This page was last edited on 28 October 2021, at 20:55 (UTC).

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