- Chrysler Building
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a skyscraper (= very tall building) on East 42nd Street in New York. It was completed in 1930 and was then the tallest building in the world. Its design has been greatly admired.
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Office building (1928–30) in New York City designed by William Van Alen (1883–1954).The epitome of sleek Art Deco design, its tapering sunburst-patterned stainless-steel spire remains a striking feature of the Manhattan skyline. Much of its futuristic automotive ornamentation was specified by its owner, Walter P. Chrysler (see Chrysler Corp.). It was briefly the tallest in the world (1,048 ft [319.4 m]) until the Empire State Building opened in 1931.* * *
office building in New York City, designed by William Van Alen and 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. Built between 1926 and 1930, the Chrysler Building was briefly the tallest in the world, at 1,046 feet (318.8 metres). It claimed this honour in November 1929—when the building was topped off with a 180-foot (55-metre) 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 (Chrysler, Walter P), 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 structure was conducted in the early 1980s.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
