CHRYSLER BUILDING

Description

Essentials about the Chrysler Building in brief

The Chrysler Building is one of the most famous and beautiful skyscrapers in New York City and one of the city’s landmarks. When it opened in 1930, it was the tallest building in the world with a height of 319 meters. Today, of course, it no longer holds this title, but it is still the fifth tallest building in New York City. The Chrysler Building is located in Midtown Manhattan at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street.

The history of the Chrysler Building

The client of the building was Walter Percy Chrysler, an American automobile pioneer and founder of the automobile manufacturer of the same name. He commissioned architect William Van Alen to construct a building for the Chrysler Corporation. Although the building was designed and built specifically for Chrysler, the automaker, the company did not pay for its construction, nor did it ever own it. Walter P. Chrysler had decided to pay for it privately so he could pass it on to his children.

The cornerstone for the building was laid on September 19, 1928. After a record construction time of less than two years, the skyscraper was formally dedicated on May 28, 1930. The extremely fast construction was also due to the consequences of the stock market crash in 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression. Unemployment rose to record levels and labor wages dropped radically. As a result, it was possible to hire many more workers than planned on the construction sites for the same amount of money. A building with the dimensions of the Chrysler Building could not have been erected under normal conditions in this short construction period. An average of four stories was built per week.

During the construction of the Chrysler Building there was an exciting competition with the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building (today 40 Wall Street or The Trump Building). Chrysler and its architect Van Alen were determined to create the tallest building in the world at the time. But Van Alen’s former partner and now competitor was also pursuing the same goal with the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building. The waves went back and forth – new size specifications were constantly being circulated in the press, which were promptly surpassed by the other side.

In April 1930, the 283-meter Bank of Manhattan Trust Building toppled the former record holder, the 241-meter Woolworth Building, from its throne and announced its victory over the not-yet-completed Chrysler Building. But architect Van Alen had a trump card up his sleeve, which he kept secret until the last minute, and that was the building’s famous 56-meter-high spire. The individual components of this metal spire had first been stored and pre-assembled in the building’s heating shaft. Then the huge steel plates were secretly brought up to the 65th floor, screwed together there and then placed in one piece on the building by a slewing crane, which thus suddenly grew to a stately 319 meters in height. This undertaking took less than an hour and a half. Weighing only 30 tons, this steel structure is purely decorative and one of the most fascinating examples of Art Deco. The Bank of Manhattan Trust Building was beaten.

At 319 meters, the Chrysler Building was the tallest building in the world when it opened, and also the first to break the 1,000-foot mark (305 meters). It measured 282 meters to the roof; however, since the metal spire is part of the building’s basic structure, it is counted toward the official height.

Despite the massive effort to achieve the new world height record, the Chrysler Building ironically held the title for just one year. As early as 1931, it was clearly eclipsed by the Empire State Building, also located in Midtown Manhattan, with a height of 381 meters. Until 1969, however, the Chrysler Building remained the second tallest skyscraper in the world. And the Chrysler Building holds the title of the tallest brick building in the world to this day.

The architecture of the Chrysler Building

The building was built in the Art Deco style. There is plenty of automotive-related ornamentation on the building, such as stainless steel gargoyles modeled on radiator figures, ornamental elements in the shape of Chrysler hoods, and tile friezes in the shape of Chrysler hubcaps.

The lighting so distinctive to the New York skyline comes from inconspicuous fluorescent lights attached to the window frames. Especially at night, the Chrysler Building is therefore one of the most striking buildings on the Manhattan skyline.

Visiting the Chrysler Building

Unfortunately, visitors to the Chrysler Building have to limit themselves to the beautiful chrome and marble lobby. In contrast to the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building is a pure office building without a viewing platform. Sightseeing tours are also no longer available. Thus, tourists no longer have the pleasure of riding the wonderful elevators, which are decorated in detail.