Editing Chrysler Building (section)

== Architecture ==
The Chrysler Building was designed by [[William Van Alen]] in the [[Art Deco]] style and is named after one of its original tenants, automotive executive [[Walter Chrysler]].{{sfn|Binder|2006|p=62}}{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=280}} With a height of {{convert|1046|ft|m}}, the Chrysler is the [[List of tallest buildings in New York City|12th-tallest building in the city]] {{as of|2019|lc=y}}, tied with [[The New York Times Building]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/tallest-buildings-new-york-city-nyc-ranked-skyscrapers-supertall-2019-4#t11-new-york-times-tower-1|title=The 11 tallest buildings in New York City right now, ranked|work=Business Insider|access-date=March 2, 2020|date=September 18, 2019|language=en}}</ref> The building is constructed of a steel frame infilled with masonry, with areas of decorative metal cladding. The structure contains 3,862 exterior windows.<ref name="emporis" /> Approximately fifty metal ornaments protrude at the building's corners on five floors reminiscent of [[gargoyle]]s on [[Gothic cathedral]]s.{{sfn|Cobb|2010|p=118}} The 31st-floor contains gargoyles{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=424}} as well as replicas of the 1929 Chrysler [[hood ornament|radiator caps]],{{sfn|Nash|McGrath|1999|p=65}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1926/building/Cap.htm|title=1926 Chrysler Radiator Cap Used On The Chrysler Building|publisher=Imperialclub.com|date=December 13, 2006|access-date=September 27, 2010|archive-date=May 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517030020/http://www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1926/building/Cap.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the 61st-floor is adorned with eagles{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=424}} as a nod to America's [[national bird of the United States|national bird]].{{sfn|Cobb|2010|p=119}}

The design of the Chrysler Building makes extensive use of bright "[[Nirosta]]"{{sfn|Cobb|2010|pp=105–106}}<ref name="Davies y631">{{cite web |last=Davies |first=Rachel |date=October 29, 2024 |title=The Chrysler Building: Everything You Need to Know About New York City's Art Deco Masterpiece |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-chrysler-building-everything-you-need-to-know |access-date=November 1, 2024 |website=Architectural Digest}}</ref> stainless steel, an [[austenitic]] alloy developed in Germany by [[Krupp]].{{sfn|Kingston|2017|p=173}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=3}}<ref name="jayebee.com">{{cite magazine |last=Pierpont |first=Claudia Roth |date=November 18, 2002 |title=The Silver Spire: How two men's dreams changed the skyline of New York |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/11/18/the-silver-spire |access-date=March 23, 2022}}</ref>{{sfn|Cobb|2010|p=106}} It was the first use of this "18-8 stainless steel" in an American project,{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=260}} composed of 18% [[chromium]] and 8% [[nickel]].{{sfn|Cobb|2010|p=106}} Nirosta was used in the exterior ornaments, the window frames, the crown, and the needle.{{sfn|Cobb|2010|pp=106–108}} The steel was an integral part of Van Alen's design, as E.E. Thum explains: "The use of permanently bright metal was of greatest aid in the carrying of rising lines and the diminishing circular forms in the roof treatment, so as to accentuate the gradual upward swing until it literally dissolves into the sky...."{{sfn|Cobb|2010|p=118}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Thum|first=E.E.|title=The book of stainless steels: corrosion resisting and heat resisting alloys|publisher=American Society for Metals|year=1935|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q_BhvgAACAAJ|access-date=November 5, 2017|page=657}}</ref> Stainless steel producers used the Chrysler Building to evaluate the durability of the product in architecture. In 1929, the [[ASTM International|American Society for Testing Materials]] created an inspection committee to study its performance, which regarded the Chrysler Building as the best location to do so; a subcommittee examined the building's panels every five years until 1960, when the inspections were canceled because the panels had shown minimal deterioration.{{sfn|Cobb|2010|p=119}}

=== Form ===
[[File:Chrysler Building spire, Manhattan, by Carol Highsmith (LOC highsm.04444).jpg|thumb|The building's distinctive Art Deco crown and spire|left]]

The Chrysler Building's height and legally mandated setbacks influenced Van Alen in his design.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=3}} The walls of the lowermost sixteen floors rise directly from the sidewalk property lines, except for a recess on one side that gives the building a U-shaped floor plan above the fourth floor.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=606}}{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=418}} There are setbacks on floors 16, 18, 23, 28, and 31, making the building compliant with the 1916 Zoning Resolution. This gives the building the appearance of a [[ziggurat]] on one side and a U-shaped [[palazzo]] on the other.{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=418}} Above the 31st floor, there are no more setbacks until the 60th floor, above which the structure is funneled into a [[Maltese cross]] shape{{sfn|Douglas|2004|p=96}} that "blends the square shaft to the [[finial]]", according to author and photographer [[Cervin Robinson]].{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=418}}

The floor plans of the first sixteen floors were made as large as possible to optimize the amount of rental space nearest ground level, which was seen as most desirable. The U-shaped cut above the fourth floor served as a shaft for air flow and illumination. The area between floors 28 and 31 added "visual interest to the middle of the building, preventing it from being dominated by the heavy detail of the lower floors and the eye-catching design of the finial. They provide a base to the column of the tower, effecting a transition between the blocky lower stories and the lofty shaft."{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=418}}

=== Facade ===
==== Base and shaft ====
[[File:Chrysler Building Oct 2021 03.jpg|left|thumb|The lower walls are clad with white brick, interrupted by white-marble bands in a manner similar to a basket weaving.]]
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. There are two main entrances, on Lexington Avenue and on 42nd Street, each three floors high with Shastone granite surrounding each [[proscenium]]-shaped entryway. At some distance into each main entryway, there are revolving doors "beneath intricately patterned metal and glass screens", designed so as to embody the Art Deco tenet of amplifying the entrance's visual impact. A smaller side entrance on 43rd Street is one story high.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=608}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=3}}{{sfn|Kingston|2017|p=175}} There are storefronts consisting of large Nirosta-steel-framed windows at ground level.{{sfn|Robins|2017|p=83}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=3}} Office windows penetrate the second through fourth floors.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=3}}

The west and east elevations contain the air shafts above the fourth floor, while the north and south sides contain the receding setbacks.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=3}} Below the 16th floor, the facade is clad with white brick, interrupted by white-marble bands in a manner similar to [[basket weaving]].{{sfn|Robins|2017|p=82}}{{sfn|Bascomb|2004|p=161}} The inner faces of the brick walls are coated with a waterproof [[grout]] mixture measuring about {{convert|1/16|in}} thick.<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|1115100040}} |title=Skyscrapers Made Rainproof With 'Blotters': Absorbing Composition Is Shot Against Back of Bricks to Catch Seepage Best of Them Let In Water In Old Days Roof Was the Vulnerable Point of Attack |date=May 24, 1931 |page=E6 |issn=1941-0646 |work=New York Herald Tribune}}</ref> The windows, arranged in grids, do not have [[window sill]]s, the frames being flush with the facade.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=3}} Between the 16th and 24th floors, the exterior exhibits vertical white brick columns that are separated by windows on each floor. This visual effect is made possible by the presence of aluminum [[spandrel]]s between the columns of windows on each floor. There are abstract reliefs on the 20th through 22nd-floor spandrels, while the 24th floor contains {{convert|9|ft|m|adj=on}} decorative pineapples.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=3}}

Above the third setback, consisting of the 24th through 27th floors, the facade contains horizontal bands and zigzagged gray-and-black brick motifs. The section above the fourth setback, between the 27th and 31st floors, serves as a podium for the main shaft of the building.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=606}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=3}} There are Nirosta-steel decorations above the setbacks.{{sfn|Robins|2017|p=82}}{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=418}} At each corner of the 31st floor, large car-hood ornaments were installed to make the base look larger. These corner extensions help counter a common optical illusion seen in tall buildings with horizontal bands, whose taller floors would normally look larger.{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=418}}{{sfn|Douglas|2004|p=96}} The 31st floor also contains a gray and white frieze of hubcaps and fenders,{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=608}}{{sfn|Nash|McGrath|1999|p=63}} which both symbolize the Chrysler Corporation and serves as a visual signature of the building's Art Deco design.<ref name="emporis" /><ref name="jayebee.com" />{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=608}} The bonnet embellishments take the shape of [[Mercury (god)|Mercury's]] [[Petasos|winged helmet]] and resemble hood ornaments installed on Chrysler vehicles at the time.{{sfn|Douglas|2004|p=96}}

The shaft of the tower was designed to emphasize both the horizontal and vertical: each of the tower's four sides contains three columns of windows, each framed by bricks and an unbroken marble pillar that rises along the entirety of each side. The spandrels separating the windows contain "alternating vertical stripes in gray and white brick", while each corner contains horizontal rows of black brick.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=4}}

{{multiple image
| align             = center
| title             = Ornaments resembling:
| direction         = horizontal
| width             =
| caption_align     = center
| image1            = Chrysler building detail.jpg
| caption1          = [[Hood ornament]]s<br /><small>(31st floor)</small>
| image2            = Chrysler Building motifs detail.jpg
| caption2          = [[Hubcap]]s and [[Fender (vehicle)|fenders]]<br /><small>(31st floor)</small>
| image3            = Chrysler Building eagle.jpg
| caption3          = Eagles <br /><small>(61st floor)</small>
| total_width       = 800
}}

====Crown and spire====
[[File:Chrysler Building detail.jpg|thumb|upright|Detail of the Art Deco ornamentation at the crown|left]]

The Chrysler Building is renowned for, and recognized by its terraced crown, which is an extension of the main tower.{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=418}} Composed of seven radiating terraced arches, Van Alen's design of the crown is a cruciform [[groin vault]] of seven concentric members with transitioning setbacks.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=608}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecityreview.com/chryslerb.html|title=Chrysler Building|first=Carter B.|last=Horsley|publisher=The City Review|access-date=September 27, 2010}}</ref> The entire crown is clad with Nirosta steel, ribbed and riveted in a radiating [[sunburst]] pattern with many triangular vaulted windows, reminiscent of the spokes of a wheel.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=608}}<ref name="jayebee.com" />{{sfn|Cobb|2010|pp=105–108}} The windows are repeated, in smaller form, on the terraced crown's seven narrow setbacks.<ref name="jayebee.com" />{{sfn|Cobb|2010|pp=105–108}} Due to the curved shape of the dome, the Nirosta sheets had to be measured on site, so most of the work was carried out in workshops on the building's 67th and 75th floors.<ref name="Skyscraper_Museum">{{cite web |last=Willis |first=Carol |title=The Skyscraper Museum: Times Square, 1984: The Postmodern Moment Walkthrough |url=http://skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/TEN_TOPS/chrysler.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422174957/http://skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/TEN_TOPS/chrysler.php |archive-date=April 22, 2016 |access-date=November 1, 2017 |website=The Skyscraper Museum}}</ref> According to Robinson, the terraced crown "continue[s] the wedding-cake layering of the building itself. This concept is carried forward from the 61st floor, whose eagle gargoyles echo the treatment of the 31st, to the spire, which extends the concept of 'higher and narrower' forward to infinite height and infinitesimal width. This unique treatment emphasizes the building's height, giving it an other worldly atmosphere reminiscent of the fantastic architecture of Coney Island or the Far East."{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=418}}

Television station [[WCBS-TV]] (Channel 2) originated its transmission from the top of the Chrysler Building in 1938.<ref>{{cite web|title=Columbia Setting Up Television Station; $650,000 Installation Atop the Chrysler Building|website=The New York Times|date=September 28, 1938|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/09/28/archives/columbia-setting-up-television-station-650000-installation-atop-the.html|access-date=November 6, 2017}}</ref> WCBS-TV transmissions were shifted to the Empire State Building in 1960<ref name="earlytv">{{Cite web|title=W2XAB – CBS, New York|url=http://www.earlytelevision.org/w2xab.html|publisher=Early Television|access-date=February 15, 2016}}</ref> in response to competition from [[RCA]]'s transmitter on that building.<ref>{{cite book|last=Balio|first=Tino|title=Hollywood in the Age of Television|publisher=Taylor & Francis|series=Routledge Library Editions: Cinema|year=2013|isbn=978-1-317-92915-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=685iAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA66|access-date=November 5, 2017|page=66}}</ref> For many years [[WPAT-FM]] and [[WKTU|WTFM (now WKTU)]] also transmitted from the Chrysler Building, but their move to the Empire State Building by the 1970s ended commercial broadcasting from the structure.<ref name="earlytv" />

The crown and spire are illuminated by a combination of fluorescent lights framing the crown's distinctive triangular windows and colored floodlights that face toward the building, allowing it to be lit in a variety of schemes for special occasions.<ref name="emporis" /> The V-shaped fluorescent "tube lighting" – hundreds of 480V 40W bulbs framing 120 window openings<ref>{{cite web| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HeYCAAAAMBAJ&dq=chrysler+building+tube+lighting&pg=PA76| title = 'Queen of the Night', ''New York Magazine'', December 7, 1981| date = December 7, 1981}}</ref> – was added in 1981, although it had been part of the original design.{{sfn|Tauranac|2014|p=189}}<ref name="enc-nyc">{{cite enc-nyc|page=247}}</ref> Until 1998, the lights were turned off at 2&nbsp;a.m., but ''[[The New York Observer]]'' columnist [[Ron Rosenbaum]] convinced Tishman Speyer to keep the lights on until 6&nbsp;a.m.<ref>See: * {{cite web|last=Rosenbaum|first=Ron|title=Come On Tishman, Light My Spire|website=Observer|date=February 23, 1998|url=http://observer.com/1998/02/come-on-tishman-light-my-spire/|access-date=November 5, 2017}} (lights turn on until 6 a.m.) * {{cite web|last=Rosenbaum|first=Ron|title=Edgy Gets Results! The Chrysler Spire Is Re-Lit Till Dawn|website=Observer|date=August 11, 2003|url=http://observer.com/2003/08/edgy-gets-results-the-chrysler-spire-is-relit-till-dawn/|access-date=November 5, 2017}} (lights turned off, then re-lit at Rosenbaum's request)</ref> Since 2015, the Chrysler Building and other city skyscrapers have been part of the [[Audubon Society]]'s Lights Out program, turning off their lights during [[bird migration]] seasons.<ref>{{cite web|last=Russ|first=Hilary|title=New York state to turn lights out for migrating birds|website=U.S.|date=April 27, 2015|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-new-york-birds/new-york-state-to-turn-lights-out-for-migrating-birds-idUSKBN0NI21R20150427|access-date=November 5, 2017}}</ref>

=== Interior ===
The interior of the building has several elements that were innovative when the structure was constructed. The partitions between the offices are soundproofed and divided into interchangeable sections, so the layout of any could be changed quickly and comfortably. Pipes under the floors carry both telephone and electricity cables.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=4}} The topmost stories are the smallest in the building and have about {{Convert|5000|ft2}} each.<ref name="Velsey r667">{{cite web |last=Velsey |first=Kim |date=December 19, 2024 |title=How Aby Rosen Lost the Chrysler Building |url=https://www.curbed.com/article/aby-rosens-chrysler-building-saga-a-timeline.html |access-date=December 21, 2024 |website=Curbed}}</ref>

==== Lobby ====
{{multiple image
| align             = center
| direction         = horizontal
| image1            = Chrysler Building Lobby 2.jpg
| width1            = 270
| caption1          = Lobby
| image2            = Chrysler Lamp.jpg
| width2            = 180
| caption2          = Art Deco lamp
| image3            = Chrysler building interior 1.jpg
| width3            = 240
| caption3          = Entrance doors
| image4            = Chrysler building interior 2.JPG
| width4            = 135
| caption4          = Futuristic digital clock
}}

The lobby is triangular in plan,{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|pp=608–609}}{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=259}}{{sfn|Kingston|2017|p=175}} connecting with entrances on Lexington Avenue, 42nd Street, and 43rd Street.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=3}} The lobby was the only publicly accessible part of the Chrysler Building by the 2000s.{{sfn|Hart|2009|p=129}}<ref name="NYTimes-Stravitz-Answers1-2009">{{cite news |last=Stravitz |first=David |date=December 9, 2009 |title=Answers About the Chrysler Building |work=The New York Times |url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/answers-about-the-chrysler-building/ |access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref> The three entrances contain Nirosta steel doors,{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=4}} above which are etched-glass panels that allow natural light to illuminate the space.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=284}} The floors contain bands of yellow [[travertine]] from [[Siena]], which mark the path between the entrances and elevator banks.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=4}}{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=259}}{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}}{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=284}} The writer Eric Nash described the lobby as a paragon of the Art Deco style, with clear influences of [[Expressionist architecture|German Expressionism]].{{sfn|Nash|McGrath|1999|p=63}} Chrysler wanted the design to impress other architects and automobile magnates, so he imported various materials regardless of the extra costs incurred.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=3}}<ref name="Trachtenberg Hyman 2002" />

The walls are covered with huge slabs of African red [[granite]].<ref name="Trachtenberg Hyman 2002" /><ref name="NYTimes-Stravitz-Answers1-2009" />{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|pp=3–4}} The walls also contain storefronts and doors made of Nirosta steel.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=4}}{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=284}} There is a wall panel dedicated to the work of clinchers, surveyors, masons, carpenters, plasterers, and builders. Fifty different figures were modeled after workers who participated in its construction.{{sfn|Miller|2015|pp=259–260}} In 1999, the mural was returned to its original state after a restoration that removed the polyurethane coating and filled-in holes added in the 1970s.<ref name="Dunlap 1999" /> Originally, Van Alen's plans for the lobby included four large supporting columns, but they were removed after Chrysler objected on the grounds that the columns made the lobby appear "cramped".{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=259}} The lobby has dim lighting which combined with the appliqués of the lamps, create an intimate atmosphere and highlight the space.<ref name="Trachtenberg Hyman 2002">{{cite book |last1=Trachtenberg |first1=M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ovsanj4CylQC |title=Architecture, from Prehistory to Postmodernity |last2=Hyman |first2=I. |publisher=Harry N. Abrams |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-13-091841-3 |pages=526–528 |access-date=November 5, 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}} Vertical bars of fluorescent light are covered with Belgian blue marble and Mexican amber onyx bands, which soften and diffuse the light.{{sfn|Robins|2017|p=83}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=4}}{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=430}} The marble and onyx bands are designed as inverted [[Chevron (insignia)|chevrons]].{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=4}}{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=284}}

Opposite the Lexington Avenue entrance is a security guard's desk topped by a digital clock.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}} The panel behind the desk is made of marble, surrounded by Nirosta steel.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=4}}{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=284}} The lobby connects to four elevator banks, each of a different design.{{sfn|Binder|2006|p=62}}{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=259}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=5}} To the north and south of the security desk are terrazzo staircases leading to the second floor and basement. The stairs contain marble walls and Nirosta-steel railings.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=284}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=5}} The outer walls are flat but are clad with marble strips that are slightly angled to each other, which give the impression of being curved.{{sfn|Robins|2017|p=83}} The inner railings of each stair are designed with zigzagging Art Deco motifs, ending at red-marble newel posts on the ground story. Above each stair are aluminum-leaf ceilings with etched-glass chandeliers.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=284}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=5}}

The ceiling contains a {{convert|110|by|67|ft|m|adj=on}} mural, ''[[Transport and Human Endeavor]]'', designed by [[Edward Trumbull]]. The mural's theme is "energy and man's application of it to the solution of his problems", and it pays homage to the [[Aviation in the interwar period|Golden Age of Aviation]] and the [[Machine Age]].<ref name="Dunlap 1999">{{cite web|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|title=POSTINGS: 110- by 76-Foot Work on Ceiling Was Installed in 1930; Chrysler Building Mural Awakens|website=The New York Times|date=March 21, 1999|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/21/realestate/postings-110-76-foot-work-ceiling-was-installed-1930-chrysler-building-mural.html|access-date=November 5, 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=259}}{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}} The mural is painted in the shape of a "Y" with ocher and golden tones. The central image of the mural is a "muscled giant whose brain directs his boundless energy to the attainment of the triumphs of this mechanical era", according to a 1930 pamphlet that advertised the building. The mural's Art Deco style is manifested in characteristic triangles, sharp angles, slightly curved lines, chrome ornaments, and numerous patterns.<ref name="Dunlap 1999" /> The mural depicts several silver planes, including the ''[[Spirit of St. Louis]]'', as well as furnaces of incandescent steel and the building itself.{{sfn|Miller|2015|pp=259–260}}{{sfn|Nash|McGrath|1999|p=63}}

When the building opened, the first and second floors housed a public exhibition of Chrysler vehicles.<ref>{{cite book |last=Adler |first=D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DALX2AsrZTcC |title=Chrysler |publisher=MotorBooks International |isbn=978-1-61060-871-8 |page=21 |access-date=November 5, 2017|postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |date=September 18, 1997 |title=Chrysler Building Lures 20 Bidders With Romance and Profit Potential |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/18/nyregion/chrysler-building-lures-20-bidders-with-romance-and-profit-potential.html |access-date=November 5, 2017 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The exhibition, known as the Chrysler Automobile Salon, was near the corner of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Streets, and opened in 1936.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 12, 1936 |title=Chrysler Salon Popular; 25,000 Have Visited Display Since Opening Saturday |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/11/12/archives/chrysler-salon-popular-25000-have-visited-display-since-opening.html |access-date=November 16, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The ground floor featured "invisible glass" [[display window]]s,{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=303}}<ref name="AF-1937">{{cite magazine |date=January 1937 |title=Chrysler Automobile Salon |url=https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1937-01.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228091214/https://www.usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1937-01.pdf |archive-date=February 28, 2020 |url-status=live |volume=66 |issue=1 |pages=13–14 |journal=Architectural Forum}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Berger |first=Meyer |date=January 23, 1956 |title=About New York; 'Invisible' Windows Crack in Chrysler's Salon—1811 Cognac for Eisenhower |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/01/23/archives/about-new-york-invisible-windows-crack-in-chryslers-salon1811.html |access-date=November 16, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> a {{convert|51|ft|m|adj=on}} diameter turntable upon which automobiles were displayed, and a ceiling with lights arranged in concentric circles.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=303}}<ref name="AF-1937" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 11, 1936 |title=Chrysler Has Special Salon in Own Building; Cars on Turntable Behind Invisible Glass |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/11/11/archives/chrysler-has-special-salon-in-own-building-cars-on-turntable-behind.html |access-date=November 16, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Escalators led to the showroom's second floor where [[Plymouth (automobile)|Plymouths]], [[Dodge]]s, and [[DeSoto (automobile)|DeSoto]]s were sold.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=305}} The Chrysler Salon remained operational through at least the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 25, 1962 |title=Camera Notes; Press Picture Exhibit Among Local Shows |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/03/25/archives/camera-notes-press-picture-exhibit-among-local-shows.html |access-date=November 16, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==== Elevators ====
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = horizontal
| width1            = 150
| image1            = Chrysler express elevator.jpg
| caption1          = Open doors
| width2            = 110
| image2            = Lift door Chrysler Building Lobby.jpg
| caption2          = Closed doors
| width3            = 150
| image3            = Chrysler_elevator.jpg
| caption3          = Elevator interior with inlaid wood
}}

There are 32 elevators in the skyscraper, clustered into four banks.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}}{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=428}} At the time of opening, 28 of the elevators were for passenger use.{{sfn|Kingston|2017|p=171}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=5}} Each bank serves different floors within the building, with several "express" elevators going from the lobby to a few landings in between, while "local" elevators connect the landings with the floors above these intermediate landings.<ref>{{cite web|title=Elevator Problems In High Buildings|work=The New York Times|date=May 11, 1930|issn=0362-4331|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/05/11/97799980.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811211720/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/05/11/97799980.pdf |archive-date=August 11, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=November 5, 2017}}</ref> As per Walter Chrysler's wishes, the elevators were designed to run at a rate of {{convert|900|ft/min|m/min}},<ref name="The New York Times 1929">{{Cite news |date=March 10, 1929 |title=Chrysler Building 809 Feet In Height |work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/03/10/107095825.pdf |access-date=November 2, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> despite the {{convert|700|ft/min|m/min|adj=on}} speed restriction enforced in all city elevators at the time.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=4}} This restriction was loosened soon after the Empire State Building opened in 1931, as that building had also been equipped with high-speed elevators.{{sfn|Tauranac|2014|p=183}} The Chrysler Building also had three of the longest elevator shafts in the world at the time of completion.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=4}}

Over the course of a year, Van Alen painstakingly designed these elevators with the assistance of L.T.M. Ralston, who was in charge of developing the elevator cabs' mechanical parts.{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=428}} The cabs were manufactured by the [[Otis Elevator Company]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.otis.com/_layouts/ProjectItemPopup.aspx?productItemNo=8&siteURL=http://www.otis.com/site/cn-eng/Pages/GlobalProjectGallery.aspx?menuID=6|title=Global Project Gallery: Chrysler Building|access-date=February 15, 2016|publisher=[[Otis Elevator Company]]|postscript=none}}; {{Cite web|url=http://www.hevac-heritage.org/biographies/surnames_M-R/otis/O2-OTIS.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223032611/http://www.hevac-heritage.org/biographies/surnames_M-R/otis/O2-OTIS.pdf |archive-date=February 23, 2016 |url-status=live|title=Early 20th Century New York, 1900–1931|access-date=February 15, 2016|publisher=CIBSE Heritage Group|last=Roberts|first=Euring Brian}}</ref> while the doors were made by the Tyler Company. The dimensions of each elevator were {{convert|5.5|ft|m}} deep by {{convert|8|ft|m}} wide.{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=428}} Within the lobby, there are ziggurat-shaped Mexican onyx panels above the elevator doors.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=284}} The doors are designed in a [[lotus flower|lotus]] pattern and are clad with steel and wood.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1978|p=5}} When the doors are closed, they resemble "tall fans set off by metallic palm fronds rising through a series of silver parabolas, whose edges were set off by curved lilies" from the outside, as noted by Curcio. However, when a set of doors is open, the cab behind the doors resembles "an exquisite Art Deco room".{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=428}} These elements were influenced by [[ancient Egyptian art|ancient Egyptian designs]], which significantly impacted the Art Deco style.{{sfn|Kingston|2017|p=171}} According to Vincent Curcio, "these elevator interiors were perhaps the single most beautiful and, next to the dome, the most important feature of the entire building."{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=428}}

Even though the woods in the elevator cabs were arranged in four basic patterns, each cab had a unique combination of woods.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=284}}{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}}{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=428}} Curcio stated that "if anything the building is based on patterned fabrics, [the elevators] certainly are. Three of the designs could be characterized as having 'geometric', 'Mexican' and vaguely 'art nouveau' motifs, which reflect the various influences on the design of the entire building."{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=428}} The roof of each elevator was covered with a metal plate whose design was unique to that cab, which in turn was placed on a polished wooden pattern that was also customized to the cab. Hidden behind these plates were ceiling fans.{{sfn|Kingston|2017|p=171}} Curcio wrote that these elevators "are among the most beautiful small enclosed spaces in New York, and it is fair to say that no one who has seen or been in them has forgotten them".{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=428}} Curcio compared the elevators to the curtains of a Ziegfeld production, noting that each lobby contains lighting that peaks in the middle and slopes down on either side.{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=428}} The decoration of the cabs' interiors was also a nod to the Chrysler Corporation's vehicles: cars built during the building's early years had dashboards with wooden moldings.{{sfn|Nash|McGrath|1999|p=63}} Both the doors and cab interiors were considered to be works of extraordinary [[marquetry]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Knowles|first=Eric|title=Art Deco|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|series=Shire Collections|year=2014|isbn=978-0-7478-1521-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OhjDCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA115|access-date=November 5, 2017|page=115}}</ref>

==== Basement ====
<span class="anchor" id="Subway entrance"></span>On the 42nd Street side of the Chrysler Building, a staircase from the street leads directly under the building to the [[New York City Subway]]'s {{NYCS trains|Grand Central}} at [[Grand Central–42nd Street station]].<ref>{{Cite NYCS map|neighborhood|Midtown East}}</ref> It is part of the structure's original design.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}}<ref>{{Cite news|issn=0362-4331|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/11/24/317430812.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122191228/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/11/24/317430812.pdf |archive-date=November 22, 2019 |url-status=live|title=Subway Construction Planned For the Chrysler Building|date=November 24, 1929|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 2, 2017}}</ref> The [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company]], which at the time was the operator of all the routes serving the 42nd Street station, originally sued to block construction of the new entrance because it would cause crowding,<ref>{{cite news|title=I.R.T. Fights Passage To Chrysler Building|work=The New York Times|date=January 3, 1930|issn=0362-4331|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/01/03/96016116.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106152134/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/01/03/96016116.pdf |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=November 4, 2017}}</ref> but the [[New York City Board of Transportation]] pushed to allow the corridor anyway.<ref>{{cite web|title=Transit Board To Test I.R.T. Bar On Passage|work=The New York Times|date=January 13, 1930|issn=0362-4331|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/01/13/92060547.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811211728/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/01/13/92060547.pdf |archive-date=August 11, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=November 4, 2017}}</ref> Chrysler eventually built and paid for the building's subway entrance.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=4}} Work on the new entrance started in March 1930<ref>{{Cite news|issn=0362-4331|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/03/22/96077616.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126174139/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/03/22/96077616.pdf |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |url-status=live|title=TO Begin Chrysler Tunnel; To Connect Skyscraper With Grand Central Terminal and Subway.|date=March 22, 1930|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 10, 2017}}</ref> and it opened along with the Chrysler Building two months later.<ref>{{Cite news|issn=0362-4331|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/05/29/96136569.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811212226/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/05/29/96136569.pdf |archive-date=August 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=New Building Linked to Subway.|date=May 29, 1930|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 10, 2017}}</ref>

The basement also had a "hydrozone water bottling unit" that would filter tap water into drinkable water for the building's tenants. The drinkable water would then be bottled and shipped to higher floors.<ref>{{cite news|work=The New York Times|title=Answers About the Chrysler Building|first=David|last=Stravitz|date=December 11, 2009|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/answers-about-the-chrysler-building-part-3/|access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref>

==== Upper stories ====
===== Cloud Club =====
[[File:Chrysler Building Office North Facing Window.jpg|thumb|right|upright|View from one of the north-facing triangular windows]]
{{main|Cloud Club}}

The private [[Cloud Club]] formerly occupied the 66th through 68th floors.<ref name="enc-nyc" /> It opened in July 1930 with some three hundred members, all wealthy males who formed the city's elite.{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=260}}<ref name="McGrath 2005">{{cite web|last=McGrath|first=Charles|title=A Lunch Club for the Higher-Ups|website=The New York Times|date=May 26, 2005|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/26/garden/a-lunch-club-for-the-higherups.html|access-date=November 6, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Gray 1990">{{cite web|last=Gray|first=Christopher|title=Streetscapes: The Cloud Club; Still Exciting, but Still Vacant|website=The New York Times|date=January 14, 1990|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/14/realestate/streetscapes-the-cloud-club-still-exciting-but-still-vacant.html|access-date=November 6, 2017}}</ref> Its creation was spurred by [[Texaco]]'s wish for a proper restaurant for its executives prior to renting fourteen floors in the building. The Cloud Club was a compromise between William Van Alen's modern style and Walter Chrysler's stately and traditional tastes.<ref name="McGrath 2005" /> A member had to be elected and, if accepted, paid an initial fee of $200, plus a $150 to $300 annual fee.{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=438}} Texaco executives comprised most of the Cloud Club's membership.<ref name="Hudson 1977" /> The club and its dining room may have inspired the [[Rainbow Room]] and the Rockefeller Center Luncheon Club at [[30 Rockefeller Plaza]].<ref>{{cite web |date=October 16, 2012 |title=Rainbow Room |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/2505.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215043348/https://www1.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/2505.pdf |archive-date=February 15, 2017 |access-date=November 5, 2017 |website=[[Government of New York City|nyc.gov]] |publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] |page=4}}</ref>

There was a [[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor-style]] [[foyer]] on the 66th floor with oak paneling, as well as an old English-style grill room with wooden floors, wooden beams, wrought-iron chandeliers, and glass and lead doors.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}}{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=260}}<ref name="McGrath 2005" /> The main dining room had a futuristic appearance, with polished granite columns and etched glass appliqués in Art Deco style.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}}<ref name="Gray 1990" /> There was a mural of a cloud on the ceiling and a mural of Manhattan on the dining room's north side.<ref name="McGrath 2005" />{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|pp=281–283}} The 66th and 67th floors were connected by a Renaissance-style marble and bronze staircase.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}}<ref name="Gray 1990" /> The 67th floor had an open bar with dark-wood paneling and furniture.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=283}} On the same floor, Walter Chrysler and Texaco both had private dining rooms.<ref name="Gray 1990" />{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=283}} Chrysler's dining room had a black and frosted-blue glass frieze of automobile workers.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=283}}{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}} Texaco's dining room contained a mural across two walls; one wall depicted a town in [[New England]] with a Texaco gas station, while the other depicted an oil refinery and Texaco truck. The south side of the 67th floor also contained a library with wood-paneled walls and fluted pilasters.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=283}} The 68th floor mainly contained service spaces.<ref name="Gray 1990" />

In the 1950s and 1960s, members left the Cloud Club for other clubs. Texaco moved to [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]] in 1977,<ref name="Hudson 1977">{{cite web|last=Hudson|first=Edward|title=Texaco Is on the Way|website=The New York Times|date=August 14, 1977|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/14/archives/long-island-weekly-texaco-is-on-the-way-texaco-is-on-way-to-county.html|access-date=November 7, 2017}}</ref> and the club closed two years later.<ref name="McGrath 2005" />{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=281}} Although there have been several projects to rehabilitate the club or transform it into a disco or a gastronomic club, these plans have never materialized,<ref name="Gray 1990" /><ref name="McDowell 2000">{{cite web|last=McDowell|first=Edwin|title=Reviving High Life, 67 Floors Up; Chrysler Building Redoes the Cloud Club's Old Space|website=The New York Times|date=April 11, 2000|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/11/nyregion/reviving-high-life-67-floors-up-chrysler-building-redoes-cloud-club-s-old-space.html|access-date=November 6, 2017}}</ref> as then-owner Cooke reportedly did not want a "conventional" restaurant operating within the old club.<ref>{{Cite news|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/05/realestate/commercial-property-unusual-spaces-a-striking-medley-for-the-right-renter.html|title=Commercial Property: Unusual Spaces; A Striking Medley For the Right Renter|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=May 5, 1991|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 7, 2017}}</ref> Tishman Speyer rented the top two floors of the old Cloud Club.<ref name="McDowell 2000" /> The old staircase has been removed, as have many of the original decorations,<ref name="Gray 1990" /> which prompted objections from the Art Deco Society of New York.<ref name="McDowell 2000" />

===== Private Chrysler offices =====
Originally, Walter Chrysler had a two-story apartment on the 69th and 70th floors with a fireplace and a private office. The office also contained a gymnasium and the loftiest bathrooms in the city.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 17, 2014 |title=New York Scrapers – Art Deco II |url=http://in-arch.net/NYC/nyc2a.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618193811/http://www.in-arch.net/NYC/nyc2a.html |archive-date=June 18, 2016 |access-date=November 1, 2017 |website=in-Arch.net}}</ref> The office had a medieval ambience with leaded windows, elaborate wooden doors, and heavy plaster.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=609}} Chrysler did not use his gym much, instead choosing to stay at the Chrysler Corporation's headquarters in Detroit.<ref name="NYTimes-Stravitz-Answers1-2009" /> Subsequently, the 69th and 70th floors were converted into a dental clinic.<ref name="McDowell 2000" /> In 2005, a report by ''The New York Times'' found that one of the dentists, Charles Weiss, had operated at the clinic's current rooftop location since 1969.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hamilton|first=William L.|title=On Top of the World, Drafting, Dreaming and Drilling|website=The New York Times|date=May 26, 2005|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/26/garden/on-top-of-the-world-drafting-dreaming-and-drilling.html|access-date=November 5, 2017}}</ref> The office still had the suite's original bathroom and gymnasium.<ref name="McDowell 2000" /> Chrysler also had a unit on the 58th through 60th floors, which served as his residence.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252018%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%25201930%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%25201930%2520-%25202258.pdf|title=Chrysler's Loftiest Apartment|work=The New York Sun|last=Zismer|first=Gustave|page=55|date=April 16, 1930|access-date=November 3, 2017|via=[[Old Fulton New York Postcards]]}}</ref>

===== Observation deck and attic =====
From the building's opening until 1945, it contained a {{convert|3900|ft2|m2}} [[observation deck]] on the 71st floor, called "Celestial".<ref>{{cite web|last=Schellenbaum|first=Amy|title=Peek Inside 1945's 'Celestial' Chrysler Building Observatory|website=Curbed|date=February 28, 2014|url=https://www.curbed.com/2014/2/28/10137796/peek-inside-1945s-celestial-chrysler-building-observatory|access-date=November 5, 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=438}} For fifty cents visitors could transit its circumference through a corridor with vaulted ceilings painted with celestial motifs and bedecked with small hanging glass planets.{{sfn|Nash|McGrath|1999|p=63}}{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=438}}<ref name="Bascomb 2005">{{cite web|last=Bascomb|first=Neal|title=New York Observed; Knockin' on Heaven's Door|website=The New York Times|date=October 30, 2005|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/30/nyregion/thecity/knockin-on-heavens-door.html|access-date=November 5, 2017}}</ref> The center of the observatory contained the toolbox that Walter P. Chrysler used at the beginning of his career as a mechanic;<ref name="enc-nyc" /><ref name="Skyscraper_Museum" />{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1978|p=4}}{{sfn|Douglas|2004|p=97}} it was later preserved at the [[Chrysler Technology Center]] in [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]].{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=64}} An image of the building resembling a rocket hung above it.{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=438}} According to a contemporary brochure, views of up to {{convert|100|mi|km}} were possible on a clear day;<ref name="Bascomb 2005" /> but the small triangular windows of the observatory created strange angles that made viewing difficult, depressing traffic. When the Empire State Building opened in 1931 with two observatories at a higher elevation, the Chrysler observatory lost its clientele.<ref name="Skyscraper_Museum" /> After the observatory closed, it was used to house radio and television broadcasting equipment.<ref name="McCain 1988">{{cite web|last=McCain|first=Mark|title=Commercial Property: Tower Offices; Both Views and Prestige Draw Tenants to the Top|website=The New York Times|date=June 26, 1988|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/26/realestate/commercial-property-tower-offices-both-views-prestige-draw-tenants-top.html|access-date=November 5, 2017}}</ref> Since 1986, the old observatory has housed the office of architects Harvey Morse and Cowperwood Interests.<ref name="McCain 1988" /><ref name="mrbellers">{{cite web|last=Michaelis|first=David|url=http://www.mrbellersneighborhood.com/story.php?storyid=114|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519083624/http://www.mrbellersneighborhood.com/story.php?storyid=114|archive-date=May 19, 2009|title=Inside the Needle: The Chrysler Building Gets Lit by David Michaelis|publisher=MrBellersNeighborhood|date=March 31, 2002|access-date=September 27, 2010}}</ref>

The stories above the 71st floor are designed mostly for exterior appearance, functioning mainly as landings for the stairway to the spire and do not contain office space.{{sfn|Curcio|2001|p=400}} They are very narrow, have low and sloping roofs, and are only used to house radio transmitters and other mechanical and electrical equipment.<ref name="jayebee.com" /> For example, the 73rd floor houses the motors of the elevators and a {{convert|15000|gal|L|adj=on}} water tank, of which {{convert|3500|gal|L}} are reserved for extinguishing fires.<ref name="mrbellers" />

{{Clear}}