Overview & visitor information
The Chrysler Building rises 1,046 feet at Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street. Architect William Van Alen designed it for automobile executive Walter P. Chrysler, and a secretly assembled spire lifted the completed 1930 tower above its rivals during New York's celebrated race for the world's tallest building.
Its stainless-steel crown layers seven setbacks with triangular windows and radiating sunburst arches, ending in the narrow spire. Lower levels carry stylized radiator caps, hubcaps and projecting eagle-like ornaments modeled on Chrysler products, turning industrial motifs into polished architectural decoration.
A narrow triangular lobby combines marble, metal, amber lighting and Edward Trumbull's ceiling mural celebrating transport, construction and modern labor. The upper floors are offices rather than a public observatory, so the landmark's strongest public presence remains its crown, visible as a shifting silver pattern across Midtown.
