Standing 1,046 feet tall, the Chrysler Building is an Art Deco-style supertall skyscraper in the East Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan. Designed by William Van Alen, the building is named after automotive executive Walter Chrysler, one of its original tenants. It was the world's first supertall skyscraper and held the title of the world's tallest building for 11 months after its completion in 1930. Van Alen made the Chrysler Building the first American project to use Nirosta, an austenitic stainless steel alloy developed in Germany.
The building is constructed of a steel frame infilled with masonry, featuring decorative metal cladding and 3,862 exterior windows. Its design includes intricate ornaments, such as gargoyles and replicas of 1929 Chrysler radiator caps on the 31st floor, as well as eagles on the 61st floor. In 1976, the structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark, and its facade and interior were designated New York City landmarks in 1978.
The design incorporates setbacks on floors 16, 18, 23, 28, and 31 to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution, giving it the appearance of a ziggurat on one side. Above the 31st floor, the structure is funneled into a Maltese cross shape that blends the square shaft to the finial. The ground floor exterior is covered in polished black granite from Shastone, while the three floors above it are clad in white marble from Georgia.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
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