Chrysler Building (New York City)
N 40° 45.093 W 073° 58.534
18T E 586479 N 4511682
Surely a jewell of Art-Deco architecture and pearl among skyscrapers - it is elegant tower of famous Chrysler Building in Manhattan...
Waymark Code: WM8849
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 02/18/2010
Views: 57
The slender tower of the Chrysler Building in New York City, designed by William Van Alen, is often cited as the epitome of the Art Deco skyscraper. Its sunburst-patterned stainless steel spire remains one of the most striking features of the Manhattan skyline.
Chrysler Building, built between 1926 and 1930, was briefly the tallest in the world, at 319 m (1047 feet). It claimed this honour in November 1929, when the building was topped off with a 180 foot (55 m) spire, and held the record until the Empire State Building opened in 1931. The decorative scheme of the facade and interior is largely geometric. At the request of Walter P. Chrysler, who commissioned the building, stainless steel automobile icons (e.g., radiator caps in the form of Mercury) were incorporated in the frieze on the setback at the base of the tower and in decorative work on other parts of the building. The building’s pierless corners and sleek design are typical of the modernism of the 1920s. A major restoration of the landmark's facade was conducted in 1978–1979, the beautiful spire was restored in 1995.