On
the east side of Manhattan at the intersection
of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue is
a distinctive symbol of New York City.
Standing 1046 feet (319 meters) high,
the Chrysler Building was completed in
1930 and was built for the Chrysler Corporation
(designed by William Van Alen). Completed
at an average rate of 4 floors per week,
the building was to be a symbol of the
might and power of the company that would
make the tower its headquarters. The building
is an excellent example of Art Deco architecture,
and its distinctive ornamentation was
based on the hubcaps that were then being
used on Chrysler cars and trucks..
The inside if the tower matches it’s
outside, and when the building first opened
it contained a public viewing gallery
near the top. Years later the space was
converted to a restaurant, but the Great
Depression made short work of anyone who
tried to invest in such an idea. The very
top stories of the building are very narrow,
with low-sloped ceilings designed mostly
for appearance. They make an awkward space,
and are currently used to house things
like radio equipment.
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At
the time of the Chrysler Building’s
construction there was an informal competition
to build the world's tallest skyscraper.
Just prior to its completion, the building
stood even with Craig Severance's #40
Wall Street building. When Severance added
two feet to his building so he could claim
the title of the world's tallest building,
William Van Alen secretly obtained permission
to build a 125 foot (38.1 metre) spire,
which was being constructed inside of
the building. The spire was hoisted to
the top of the building one afternoon
in 1929, making the Chrysler Building
not only the world's tallest building,
but also the world's tallest structure.
Van Alen and Chrysler enjoyed this title
for less than a year… the title
was handed over to the Empire State Building.
Chrysler
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