The Chrysler Building is "a perfect example" of the art deco style

As our Art Deco Centenary series gets underway, we spotlight the Chrysler Building in New York – one of America's first art deco skyscrapers and the world's first supertall skyscraper.

Completed in 1930, the skyscraper was designed by architect William Van Alen, having been commissioned Chrysler Corporation founder Walter Chrysler in the midst of a major New York construction boom.

Characterised by its ties to automobiles, with the elaborate use of steel and car-centric ornamentation, the Chrysler Building is often considered to be the defining symbol of art deco architecture.

"The Chrysler Building... was one of the most accomplished essays in the style," Julius Norwich wrote in his 1975 book The World Atlas of Architecture.

"[Van Alen's] creation became a perfect example of the style – modern, geometric, highly ornamented, and controversial," Diane Yancey reiterated in her 2011 book Art Deco.

The 319-metre-tall skyscraper was conceived by car-industry titan Chrysler in 1928 to become the world's tallest building, on the corner plot of 42nd street and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.

In what was dubbed a "race to the sky", the Chrysler Building vied with the nearby 40 Wall Street and Empire State Building for its place as the world's tallest building.

Upon its completion in May 1930, the Chrysler Building claimed this title for a year and became the first 300-metre-plus skyscraper before being superseded by the 381-metre-tall Empire State Building in 1931.

Irrespective of its height, the skyscraper stood out for its ostentatious design. The 77-floor skyscraper features a geometric structure that recedes at its 17th, 24th and 27th floors, before rising to its peak – akin to a ziggurat.

Reflective of his ambitious character, Chrysler set out to design a building that would "not only be tall but would proclaim the glory of Chrysler cars", according to Yancey.

Decorative details wrap around its white-and-black brick facade, while other portions are finished with the innovative use of steel.

Additionally, enormous metallic gargoyles resembling the 1929 Chrysler car hood ornaments were used at the tower's 61st floor, and coupled with large replicas of the company's hubcaps and winged radiator caps at its lower levels.

"An icon of the stainless steel industry"

Arguably the most notable of its features is the tower's stainless-steel-clad crown, composed of seven radiating arched elements decorated by triangular windows.

A 38-metre steel spire, which was strategically designed to increase the building's height to trump its peer at 40 Wall Street, rises from its top.

In his 2010 book The History of Stainless Steel, Harold Cobb remarked that the Chrysler "has become an icon of the stainless steel industry". Its association with the material – a key ingredient of early-20th-century modernity and mechanisation – further cements the building's status as an art deco archtype.

Before becoming such an icon, however, Van Alen's design was initially met with negative criticism for its unusual approach.

"As with all art deco artists, New York designer William Van Alen did not try to conform to a certain look when he set out to design the Chrysler Building in 1927," Yancey wrote.

This adventurous spirit was typical of both Van Alen, an established Brooklyn-born architect, and Chrysler, a successful mechanic from Kansas who had founded the eponymous Chrysler Corporation in 1925.

Throughout the decade, the Chrysler Corporation grew to become one of the big three automobile manufacturers in the US – operating today as a subsidiary of the automobile company Stellantis.

Chrysler refused to pay architect

The site on which the skyscraper was eventually built had originally been acquired by Brooklyn-based property developer William H Reynolds, who in 1928 had commissioned Van Alen to design a 243-metre-tall (800 foot) office building on the plot.

The lease and initial design was later sold by Reynolds to Chrysler, who reportedly instructed Van Alen to spare no expense for the art-deco redesign – despite his later refusal to pay the architect due to the lack of a contracted agreement.

Van Alen was eventually paid after successfully suing Chrysler.

As with the building's extravagant exterior, the Chrysler's seemingly limitless budget is also evidenced across the skyscraper's lavish art deco interior.

At ground level, the building is entered via revolving doors surrounded by black Belgian granite that open up to a lobby adorned by art deco elements.

Yellow-hued marble flooring was chosen alongside red marble walls and wooden details, while murals painted by American artist Edward Trumbull adorn the ceiling.

State-of-the-art, high-speed elevators were added at the building's core and are decorated with geometric artwork in the art deco style.

Across its 77-floors, the tower hosts retail space at its ground floor topped by 65 floors of office space capable of accommodating 15,000 people.

The offices served as the Chrysler Corporation headquarters until being sold by the family in 1953, with many subsequent owners.

A distinctive addition to the city's skyline, the Chrysler Building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1978 and more recently in 2007 was ranked 9th on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.

Now, almost a century since its completion, the skyscraper stands as the 12th tallest building in the city – tied with the New York Times Building – and remains an admired example of the art deco period.

As Patricia Bayer wrote in her 1992 book Art Deco Architecture: Design, Decoration and Detail from the Twenties and Thirties: "Although the 77-storey building's height has long been surpassed, its sparkling beauty has yet to be".

The top photo is by Luca Bravo via Unsplash.

Art Deco Centenary

This article is part of Dezeen's Art Deco Centenary series, which explores art deco architecture and design 100 years on from the "arts décoratifs" exposition in Paris that later gave the style its name.

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