Chrysler Building

At the beginning of the 20th century, the race for the tallest building in the world started. The Chrysler Building at 405 Lexington Avenue was the first building to top the then-highest building, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. New York City would keep the highest building in the world until 1974, when the Sears Tower was built in Chicago. For Walter P. Chrysler, from the car manufacturer, building the highest building in the world was a status symbol. The Chrysler building was in a race with the Bank of Manhattan for obtaining the title of highest building in the world. It looked like the Bank of Manhattan would win the race, with an expected height of 283 meters against the around 230 meters for the Chrysler building. But the spire of the Chrysler building was constructed in secret inside the tower.

Parent Location

Midtown, Manhattan

Owning Organization

New York