Chrysler Building, Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York, United States
The Chrysler Building is a 1,046-foot (319 m) Art Deco skyscraper at 405 Lexington Avenue, between 42nd and 43rd Streets. Its steel frame is infilled with masonry and clad in white and grey stone with dark vertical window bands; above the 60th floor the shaft narrows into a Maltese cross and a spire of stacked stainless-steel arches fitted with antennae. The building holds 3,862 exterior windows.
Construction began in 1928 under architect William Van Alen for automotive magnate Walter P. Chrysler and was completed in 1930. The upper floors were assembled in four months, making it the tallest building in the world for eleven months until the Empire State Building opened.
The building is named after Walter P. Chrysler, whose company neither paid for nor owned it; he financed it personally for his children. On the 67th floor, the Cloud Club was a bar and restaurant known during Prohibition. The triangular lobby, open to the public on weekdays, has walls of African red granite and a ceiling mural by Edward Trumbull.
The lobby can be visited on weekdays, though there is no public observation deck inside. The main entrance sits on Lexington Avenue and can be reached via subway lines 4, 5, 6, or 7 to Grand Central Station.
The spire was assembled secretly inside and lifted into place in 90 minutes to surprise rival architects and claim the height record. Silver ornaments shaped like automobile hood figures sit at the corners of the 31st floor, honoring the automotive industry connection.
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