Chrysler Building is a famous skyscraper in New York, which rises on the island of Manhattan. The height of this building is 319 meters. And this skyscraper for 11 months was considered the most significant building in the world until the Empire State Building was built.
But Chrysler Building is famous not only for its impressive size. It is famous for its artistic merits. This building is the best classic example of art deco architecture. Modern architects consider this building the most beautiful among the buildings of New York. We love Chrysler Building and ordinary Americans.
History and design of the famous skyscraper
The building of the company "Chrysler" was built in 1930. It is located on the east side of Manhattan Island at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street. But today, Chrysler does not own a skyscraper. Now it is owned by two companies: 25% is given to Tishman Speyer Properties, 75% belongs to TMW Real Estate.
The building was designed by the architect William van Helen. After the design work was completed, the Chrysler Building was bought by Walter P. Chrysler. The building was built at a very fast pace - four floors a week. Builders were in a hurry to quickly build the largest skyscraper in the world.
At that time, the building of the architect Craig Severance was considered the highest. Now it is called Trump Building. When the van Helen skyscraper was rebuilt, then in height it was equal to the structure of Craig Severance. But since Severance knew very well how tall the Van Helen building would be, he immediately added a couple more feet to his structure and he retained the title of the tallest building in the world.
But van Helen did not want to give in to his rival. He received permission from the local authorities to build a spire on the roof of a building 38 meters high. And after that, Chrysler Building in New York for about a year had the title of the tallest building in the world.
The famous skyscraper in pop culture
At the very top of the building there was previously an observation deck, a few years later a restaurant appeared on this place. But during the time of the Great Depression, this enterprise did not pay off. The restaurant was replaced by a private club. The upper floors of the building were planned mainly for viewing, and therefore the ceilings are narrow and low. Critics initially called the building “frivolous decoration,” but Manhattan residents liked it.
Chrysler Building skyscraper, photos of this famous building impress. At first it was planned to crown the roof with a crown of glass. It was also supposed to make the window panes larger and bend them a bit in order to give the building an unrealistic appearance of a being, as if gathering air and trying to soar up.
But the original project was rejected. For that time, such an undertaking was very unusual, and its implementation required enormous expenses. The final Chrysler Building project was designed in the style of Chrysler cars of the 20s. It is worth noting that certain elements of the building were subsequently transferred to new models of machines of this company.