MIT Libraries homeDome

Frontal view of the 42nd Street entry, depicting entry porch in the form of a proscenia; The exterior decoration of this 77-storey building incorporates elaborate iconography based on automobiles, including hub caps, mud flaps and a stainless steel spire that figures prominently on the skyline. The interiors are embellished with murals, marquetry and metalwork; it is the foremost Art Deco skyscraper in New York. In a celebrated race for skyline priority, Van Alen surpassed Severance's 282.55 m Bank of Manhattan in November 1929. He had the 56.39 m Chrysler spire assembled inside the building and in 90 minutes had hoisted it into position, before an unsuspecting public. At 318.52 m, it remained the tallest building in the world until the Empire State Building (381 m) opened in 1931. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 2/8/2008)