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The Chrysler Building 405 Lexington Avenue, New York |
Photograph © Wayne Lorentz. Licensed to Artefaqs Corporation |
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Location
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Address |
405 Lexington Avenue, New York, United States 10174 |
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Bordering Streets |
Lexington Avenue East 43rd Street 3rd Avenue East 42nd Street |
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Neighborhood |
Midtown |
Fast Facts
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Built |
1930 |
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Maximum Height |
1,047 feet / 319 meters |
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Stories |
77 |
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Even though no longer owned by man whose name it bears, the Chrysler Building remains hugely important as the poster child for art deco skyscrapers.
Its most impressive feature is its steeple, formed in overlapping scales of gleaming steel with triangular inset windows. This most magnificent of the building's attributes was actually a second thought. The tower was supposed to be 925 feet tall, but then it was announced that the Bank of Manhattan building (40 Wall Street) would be 927 feet tall, it infuriated William P. Chrysler. He wanted his building to be, "a bold structure, declaring the glories of the modern age" and didn't think being in second place was a way to get that done.
So a secret plan was hatched and the elements of the tower's spire were constructed hidden inside the upper floors. Then when it was too late for the Bank of Manhattan to catch up, the key pieces of the spire were hoisted into place and in just 90 minutes, raising the building's height to 1,047 feet.
Just as its name outlived its many owners, the Chrysler Building's magnificence has transcended the record books. It was only the world's tallest building for a year, but still remains an historic and cultural landmark.
Raw Data
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Construction End |
1930 |
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Renovated |
-1979, 1995 |
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By The Numbers |
• Floor space: 1,195,000 square feet
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Size[Explanation ♐] |
Maximum Height: 1,047 feet / 319 meters |
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Floors[Explanation ♐] |
77 stories above grade |
Noteworthy Facts
• This was the first man-made structure in the world to exceed 1,000 feet in height.
• At the time of its completion, this was the world's tallest building.
• This building gave up the world's tallest title one year after completion to the Empire State Building.
• Each of the 32 elevators are inlaid with a different kind of wood from a different part of the world. Other buildings have followed this model, including the Williams Tower in Houston, Texas which has different marble from different parts of the world in each elevator.
• The building's original brochure boasted it had, "every contribution to efficiency, sanitation, comfort, and even inspiration that human ingenuity can conceive or money can buy."
• From the 1940's until the 1970's this building was the transmitter location for several television and radio stations.
• The gargoyles on the 61st floor were created by Cesley Bonestell and modeled after the hood ornaments from the 1929 Chrysler Plymouth.
• The ornaments on the 31st floor were modeled after radiator caps.
• The Chrysler building was the first to use Nirosta metal on its exterior -- a mixture of chrome, nickel and steel.
Nearby Buildings
• 101 Park Avenue, New York
• MetLife Building, New York
• Lincoln Building, New York
• Murray Hill Mews, New York
• 275 Madison Avenue, New York
• 383 Madison Avenue, New York
• 100 United Nations Plaza Tower, New York
• New York Public Library Mid Manhattan Library, New York
• 500 Fifth Avenue, New York
• 425 Fifth Avenue, New York
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Attributes
• skyscraper - See more: (local) (region) (global)
• office - See more: (local) (region) (global)
• commercial - See more: (local) (region) (global)
• retail - See more: (local) (region) (global)
People and Companies
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Timeline
• September 19, 1928: Groundbreaking.
• May 28, 1930: This building opened to the public.
• 1945: The public observation deck on the 71st floor closed.
• 1947: The Chrysler family sold this building.
• 1950: The Chrysler Corporation moved out of this building.
• 1976: This building was named a National Historic Landmark.
• 2007: This building was ranked 9th on a list of American's favorite architecture by the American Institute of Architects.
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