- The Chrysler Building was commissioned by automotive magnet, William P. Chrysler. William Van Alan was the architect who designed the Chrysler Building for the Chrysler Corporation. The imposing edifice has automobile inspired details such as the eagles which grace the corners of the 61st floors, replicas of 1929 Chrysler hood ornaments. The 31st floor is adorned with metal sculpting which resembles radiator caps and the elegant lobby has a ceiling mural titled "Transport and Human Endeavor" that depicts airplanes, buildings and the automotive assembly line. Architects were scrambling to construct the tallest building, and competition was so fierce that the 185-foot spire was secretly carried into the building in 4 pieces, assembled inside the elevator shaft and raised on to the top of the building in 90 minutes.
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The Chrysler Building is located at 405 Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, between 42nd and 43rd Streets. It is across the street from the Grand Central Terminal. In 1902, the land where the Chrysler Building is located was donated to a private college, which subsequently leased the land to the Chrysler Corporation in 1929. Although the land and the building were still owned by the college until recently, the lease changed hands many times over the years. 75 percent of the lease of the building was sold in 2001 for $800 million to TMW, an investment firm. The Abu Dhabi Investment Council became the owners of the Chrysler Building as of July 9, 2008.
- The building has 3,862 windows and four banks of eight elevators and is constructed of masonry, steel and metal cladding. Nearly 4 million bricks were laid to form the non-load-bearing walls of the building and over 400,000 rivets were used. The spire on the top of the building reaches the height of 1,046 feet, and there are 77 floors and 1,195,000 square feet of floor area. The Chrysler Building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
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Considered one of the most famous buildings in the world, the Art Deco Chrysler Building has been in countless movies, television shows and photo shoots. Its screen credits include "Deep Impact", "Godzilla", "Armeggedon" and "Spiderman".
- The Art Deco elevators were made of exquisite rare wood marquetry and are always packed to their maximum capacity in the early morning. The marble, amber and onyx lobby are worth a visit.
