405 Lexington Ave

The Chrysler building is one of the most distinctive and brilliant skyscrapers in New York. Despite the height of 1,046 feet (318 m), the 77-story building is not open to the public, as it is an office building only. You can certainly visit the lobby.

However, we can believe that it would be possible to have an impressive exterior view because, on the 58th floor, the geometry of the tower changes: the corners recess to allow access to a terrace with a view on two sides. The structure of the building becomes a starry model in height. Next comes the 61st floor where eagles, an iconic American bird, have been installed in the eight corners to keep watch. The upper part of the building is differentiated with levels installed in the shape of rounded pyramidal arches decorated like 6 tiaras with points, on all four sides of the building like a royal centerpiece. This steel detail gives it a graceful and distinctive look, especially when illuminated.

Gargoyles on the 31st floor and incisions reminiscent of automobile radiator caps were deliberately integrated into the architecture for the link with the automobile manufacturer.

The Chrysler Building is located on Lexington Street near 42nd Avenue in the Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan. During its construction, there was a healthy and vigorous struggle over who would have the tallest skyscraper. At the end of construction, in 1930, it was the tallest building in the world, after surpassing the Woolworth Building, but this title was short-lived because in less than a year the Chrysler Building was surpassed by the Empire State Building.

At the time of construction, the automobile market was booming. The focus was on automobile manufacturers and the building was built specifically for the automobile manufacturer Chrysler. The manufacturer occupied the premises until 1950 but the company was never the owner. Rather, it was the founder, Walter P. Chrysler, who personally chose to invest in the acquisition of this remarkable structure.

You don’t have to travel specifically to see this building up close, but if you are there, you can also easily visit the Grand Central Station, the New York Public Library, or the Summit One Vanderbilt.

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