THE CHRYSLER BUILDING, ART DECO IN MANHATTAN

Today, The Newtons & The Grandma have visited the Chrysler Building, an Art Deco skyscraper on  the East Side of Manhattan, and one of the most popular icons of New York City. Before arriving, they have been studying The Superlative and Present Simple.

The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco skyscraper in the Turtle Bay neighbourhood on the East Side of Manhattan, New York City, at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.

At 319 m, it is the tallest brick building in the world with a steel framework, and was the world's tallest building for 11 months after its completion in 1930.

As of 2019, the Chrysler is the 11th-tallest building in the city, tied with The New York Times Building.

More information: The Superlative

More information: Adverbs of Frequency

Originally a project of real estate developer and former New York State Senator William H. Reynolds, the building was constructed by Walter Chrysler, the head of the Chrysler Corporation. The construction of the Chrysler Building, an early skyscraper, was characterized by a competition with 40 Wall Street and the Empire State Building to become the world's tallest building.

Although the Chrysler Building was built and designed specifically for the car manufacturer, the corporation did not pay for its construction and never owned it; Walter Chrysler decided to fund the entire cost personally so his children could inherit it. An annex was completed in 1952, and the building was sold by the Chrysler family the next year, with numerous subsequent owners.

More information: Chrysler Building

When the Chrysler Building opened, there were mixed reviews of the building's design, ranging from views of it as inane and unoriginal to the idea that it was modernist and iconic. Perceptions of the building have slowly evolved into its now being seen as a paragon of the Art Deco architectural style; and in 2007, it was ranked ninth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.

The building was designated a New York City landmark in 1978, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The land was donated to The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in 1902. The site is roughly a trapezoid with a 61 m frontage on Lexington Avenue; a 51 m frontage on 42nd Street; and a 62 m frontage on 43rd Street.

The site bordered the old Boston Post Road, which predated, and ran aslant of, the Manhattan street grid established by the Commissioners' Plan of 1811. As a result, the east side of the building's base is similarly aslant.

The Grand Hyatt New York hotel and the Graybar Building are across Lexington Avenue, while the Socony-Mobil Building is across 42nd Street.

In addition, the Chanin Building is to the southwest, diagonally across Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street. National Historic Landmark in 1976.

The Chrysler Building was designed by William Van Alen in the Art Deco style and is named for one of its original tenants, automotive executive Walter Chrysler.

More information: Classic New York History

It is constructed of a steel frame infilled with masonry, with areas of decorative metal cladding. The structure contains 3,862 exterior windows. Approximately fifty metal ornaments protrude at the building's corners on five floors reminiscent of gargoyles on Gothic cathedrals.

The 31st-floor contains gargoyles as well as replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps, and the 61st-floor is adorned with eagles as a nod to America's national bird.

In the mid-1920s, New York's metropolitan area surpassed London's as the world's most populous metropolitan area and its population exceeded ten million by the early 1930s.

The era was characterized by profound social and technological changes. Consumer goods such as radio, cinema, and the automobile became widespread.

In 1927, Walter Chrysler's automotive company, the Chrysler Corporation, became the third-largest car manufacturer in the United States, behind Ford and General Motors. The following year, Chrysler was named Time magazine's Person of the Year.

The economic boom of the 1920s and speculation in the real estate market fostered a wave of new skyscraper projects in New York City.

The Chrysler Building was built as part of an ongoing building boom that resulted in the city having the world's tallest building from 1908 to 1974.

More information: Town and Country

I like to build things. I like to do things.

Walter Chrysler