A Style of Its Own
The History of an Art Deco Masterpiece,
The Chrysler Building

Walter Chrysler had a dream; he wanted the tallest and most beautiful building in the world to house his corporate headquarters. Luckily enough for him, he had both the pull and the resources to make this happen. After the construction of the Woolworth Building, the competition to complete the next grand skyscraper was intense. So Chrysler turned to native New Yorker William Van Alen for both the design and execution of the building.

Van Alen had made a name for himself by abandoning the classic model of columns and arches for commercial buildings, instead leaning towards a more Art Deco approach. The architecture itself was a distinctive blend of the features then being used on Chrysler automobiles. The proud eagles that grace the four corners of the 61st floor are actually exact replicas of the 1929 Chrysler hood ornaments. The gargoyles on the 31st floor were sitting perched a top 1929 radiator caps. The entire building was a monument to the style and grace Chrysler was bringing to the automobile, but in impressive skyscraper format.

The Construction Chess Match

When groundbreaking took place on September 19, 1928, the builders, and their corporate patrons, were in stiff rivalry to build the world’s tallest building. The major rival of Chrysler, and of his building, was H. Craig Severance’s project at 40 Wall Street. Both of the buildings were being erected at the same time, with the Chrysler Building going up at an astounding four floors per week.

Severance got the plans to the new Chrysler building, and decided to add two feet to his construction. This let his project stand as the tallest building in the world, until October of that year. Little did he know that Van Alen had secretly obtained permission to build a 185 (58.4 m) spire at the top of the impressive crown of the Chrysler Building.

Working covertly inside the building, Van Alen waited until his rival had added the two-feet. On October 23, 1929, he decided to checkmate the competition. Van Alen had the spire delivered in sections leading up to this date, and used the elevator shaft as a staging area to erect the spire.

Much to the bewilderment of not only Severance, but the entire population of the New York City, in under 90 minutes the spire was raised to the top of the Chrysler Building. Not only had Chrysler and Van Alen captured the title of the tallest building in the Big Apple, they had completed the tallest man-made structure in the world. Though the brinkmanship was clever, the Chrysler Building would only hold that title for one year, before it was surrendered to the Empire State Building.

Rough Start

When the Chrysler Building first opened to the public in May 27, 1930, it was already darkened by scandal. Though the building was acclaimed not only for its height, many architects also called it the unessential skyscraper of its time. But this was not enough bad publicity for Walter Chrysler, who refused to pay Van Alen. Mr. Chrysler accused Van Alen of taking bribes from subcontractors, and refused to pay his fee.

Much like its sister in the New York skyline, the Chrysler Building had an observation deck much like the Empire State Building. It was originally a public viewing gallery, but had the misfortune of being opened during the Great Depression of the 1930s. A few years later, the space was converted into the Cloud Club, an executives’ only restaurant that oddly enough never opened in the evening. The Cloud Club closed for good in 1979, and various schemes to rehab and reopen it have never come to fruition.

The building itself was sold by the Chrysler Corporation in the 1950s, and is presently co-owned by TMW Real Estate (75%) and Tishman Speyer Properties (25%). The Cloud Club itself is now rented to tenants, expect for the restaurant level that is awaiting the right American entrepreneur.

A Style and Class of Its Own

The major achievement of the Chrysler Building is not that it was once the world’s tallest structure, but how it has aged gracefully. One of the reasons is that eagles and hubcaps that adorn the building are made from Nirosta, an alloy of chrome-nickel, which was developed by the famous Krupps of Germany. This unique metal has yet to tarnish or corrode.

The entire building is also astounding. A unique take of the Art Deco style, the lobby is laden in different marbles, onyx and amber. Further decorations include Egyptian motifs and an Edward Trumbull ceiling fresco titled “Transport and Human Endeavor.” This magnificent painting, which is still in perfect condition, depicts buildings, airplanes and scenes from the Chrysler assemble line and empire.

The top crown of the building itself is a tribute to the automobile. Within the setbacks, shaft and brightwork on the tower, are pieces resembling metal hubcaps to car fenders, all crafted in the Art Deco style.

In 2005, New York City’s own Skyscraper Museum asked one hundred architects, builders, critics, engineers, historians, and scholars to choose their 10 favorites from among 25 New York towers. The Chrysler Building came in first place as 90 percent of them placed the building in their top 10. So visit this historic building today—while there is no observation deck, the ceiling mural and lobby are worth a visit all by themselves.