Editing Chrysler Building (section)

==== Planning ====
In 1921, Reynolds rented a large plot of land at the corner of [[Lexington Avenue]] and [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd Street]] with the intention of building a tall building on the site.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=1}}<ref name="jayebee.com" />{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=280}} Reynolds did not develop the property for several years, prompting the Cooper Union to try to increase the assessed value of the property in 1924. The move, which would force Reynolds to pay more rent, was unusual because property owners usually sought to decrease their property assessments and pay fewer taxes.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 9, 1924 |title=Cooper Union Seeks Higher Tax Assessment: Former Valuation Would Force Lessee, William H. Reynolds, to Pay Higher Rent |page=6 |work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1113201557}}}}</ref> Reynolds hired the architect&nbsp;[[William Van Alen]] to design a forty-story building there in 1927.<ref name="NYTimes-Never-Again-Scaled-2005">{{Cite news |last=Bascomb |first=Neal |date=May 26, 2005 |title=For the Architect, a Height Never Again to Be Scaled |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/26/garden/for-the-architect-a-height-never-again-to-be-scaled.html |access-date=November 1, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Van Alen's original design featured many [[Modern architecture|Modernist]] stylistic elements, with glazed, curved windows at the corners.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=606}}

[[File:Chrysler Building Nov 2021.jpg|thumb|Chrysler Building from The SUMMIT at [[One Vanderbilt]] with the [[Headquarters of the United Nations|United Nations headquarters]] in the background ]]

Van Alen was respected in his field for his work on the Albemarle Building at Broadway and 24th Street, designing it in collaboration with his partner&nbsp;[[H. Craig Severance]].<ref name="Gray 1998">{{cite web |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=March 22, 1998 |title=Streetscapes/William Van Alen; An Architect Called the 'Ziegfeld of His Profession' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/22/realestate/streetscapes-william-van-alen-an-architect-called-the-ziegfeld-of-his-profession.html |access-date=November 1, 2017 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>{{sfn|Kingston|2017|p=97}}&nbsp;Van Alen and Severance complemented each other, with Van Alen being an original, imaginative architect and Severance being a shrewd businessperson who handled the firm's finances.{{sfn|Bascomb|2004|p=2}}&nbsp;The relationship between them became tense over disagreements on how best to run the firm.<ref name="NYTimes-Never-Again-Scaled-2005" />&nbsp;A 1924 article in the&nbsp;''[[Architectural Review]]'', praising the Albemarle Building's design, had mentioned Van Alen as the designer in the firm and ignored Severance's&nbsp;role.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=817}}{{sfn|Bascomb|2004|p=4}}{{sfn|Kingston|2017|p=109}} The architects' partnership dissolved acrimoniously several months later, with lawsuits over the firm's clients and assets lasting over a year.{{sfn|Bascomb|2004|p=4}}{{sfn|Kingston|2017|p=109}} The rivalry influenced the design of the future Chrysler Building, since Severance's more traditional architectural style would otherwise have restrained Van Alen's more modern outlook.{{sfn|Kingston|2017|pp=108–109}}