Chrysler Building: New York’s Art Deco Icon

The Chrysler Building is the eleventh tallest skyscraper in New York, but one of the first in New Yorkers' hearts (check out the list of the tallest skyscrapers).

There are no visits, guided tours, or observation decks at the Chrysler Building. The best way to appreciate the beauty of its architecture is from the Summit One Vanderbilt observatory, a few blocks away.

The beauty of the Chrysler Building's design is timeless and universal, one of the masterpieces of New York art deco and a sophisticated example of gothic futurism.

It deserves to be one of the most iconic attractions in New York.

The Chrysler Building's design

Just stand at the base of this famous Midtown East building to take in its eclectic, avant-garde look. Start with the details of its ornamentation, which are inspired by car parts!

Zoom in with your phone and you'll get a better look at these designs inspired by the auto industry. Why cars, you ask? The name gives it away: this skyscraper was built as the headquarters of the Chrysler corporation, the well-known Detroit carmaker.

Look closely and you'll notice that the arches in the building's crown mirror the shape of the hubcaps or wheel rims on Chrysler cars of the day.

The streamlined eagle gargoyles at the corners of the 31st and 61st floors are large-scale replicas of the hood ornaments on luxury cars of the era.

There is no observation deck at the Chrysler Building

The story goes that the original lobby of the Chrysler Building was supremely elegant. Over the years it has been altered, straying from the original design.

You can walk into the lobby, and if the security guards take a liking to you they may let you go up to the second floor, where there's a huge mural from the 1930s depicting the promising future of the auto industry. That's as far as you'll get, though, because unfortunately there's no public observation deck or guided tour of the Chrysler Building.

One tip for taking in the details: bring a good camera and shoot it from the Summit observatory at One Vanderbilt. You'll see it just a few yards away.

You can also spot it from the Empire State observation deck or from the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. But you won't get as close as you do from Summit.

Another idea is to see it from a helicopter ride, an experience that gives you a privileged view of the skyscraper. This one is worth every penny!

There was speculation that the group of Emirati investors who bought it in 2008 would turn some floors into a hotel, a restaurant, and an observation deck.

Sadly the plan never happened, and in 2019 the building was sold again, this time to New York real estate developers. Might they be planning an observation deck too? Here's hoping!

New Yorkers' favorite building

While the Empire State is the city's most recognizable icon, the Chrysler Building is New Yorkers' favorite skyscraper, according to a survey by New York's Skyscraper Museum.

It's very close to Grand Central Terminal, another architectural gem of New York you shouldn't miss.

History of the Chrysler Building

As I mentioned, this 1930 architectural gem, with 77 floors and a height of 1,046 feet (319 meters), was commissioned by the Chrysler corporation. It stopped belonging to Chrysler back in the 1950s, but it has kept the name.

The project took shape in the middle of the skyscraper race, tense years when the most powerful companies in the West fought to own the tallest tower in New York, since it meant a huge image boost at a time when advertising was considered all-powerful.

Thanks to the 197-foot steel spire known as the «vertex,» Chrysler Corporation made it to the top of the New York skyline.

That spire was built in secret beneath the roof of the Chrysler Building and raised at the last minute, pushing its closest competitor at the time, 40 Wall Street, into second place.

The trick infuriated the builders of 40 Wall Street (today the Trump Building), who were sure they'd win the race until the vertex blew up their math.

In any case, the Chrysler was the tallest skyscraper for only a few months, since the Empire State took the title in 1931.

Chrysler Building address

405 Lexington Avenue at 42nd Street.

How to get there

Subway 4, 5, 6, 7. Grand Central-42 St station