NYatKNIGHT
February 2nd, 2004, 01:07 PM
From the Municipal Art Society (http://www.mas.org/home.cfm) webpage:
Sky High: An Evening Atop the Chrysler Building
Wednesday, February 4th
The Chrysler Building, 67th Floor
6:30 until 9 pm Cocktails, Music and Panoramic Views
7:30 pm Speaker Neal Bascomb
The Municipal Art Society Urbanists invite you to the former Cloud Club for Sky High: An Evening Atop the Chrysler Building. Join us for cocktails, spectacular views, and remarks by Neal Bascomb, author of the new book, Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City.
Read the invitation for details. (http://www.mas.org/ContentLibrary/Sky_High.pdf)
Anyone going to this?
TLOZ Link5
February 2nd, 2004, 07:43 PM
For those of you who don't get the joke:
http://www.cala2.umn.edu/aiasm/bab_art/old_cost.2.jpg
Three guesses which one's Bill Van Al. Think it can fit in the elevator?
The players from left to right: A. Stuart Walker as the Fuller Building, Leonard Schultze as the Waldorf-Astoria (one tower), Ely Jacques Kahn as the Squibb Building, WVA, Ralph Walker as One Wall Street, D.E. Ward as the Metropolitan Tower and Joseph H. Freelander as the Museum of the City of New York.
NYatKNIGHT
February 5th, 2004, 11:50 AM
I wound up going to this little cocktail party with a small crowd, there were well over a hundred people attending. It was very cool to be up high in the Chrysler Building. What was once the Cloud Club is now gutted, with pipes and conduits exposed, but we still got a sense of the scale of the room and to look out those triangular windows.
Neal Bascomb, the author of Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City spoke over a slideshow presentation about the race for world's tallest with 40 Wall and the construction of the Chrysler building. It ended with the photo of Van Alen dressed as the Chrysler Building, by the way. And "Festive Attire" just meant dress nice. Philippe Petit was also there signing his new book. But the best part was walking round and round the three stories of the former Cloud Club, floors 66-68, and staring out the windows out on the city.
Some blurry no-flash photos:
Interior shots from the 67th floor:
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The Empire State Building was in NY Rangers colors for the retirement of Mike Richter's number. (Usually when it's red, white, and blue the top of the spire is blue.)
http://www.pbase.com/image/55781134.jpg
The windows can easily open, though they say 'please don't', and the lighting is a simple fluorescent bulb.
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Views from the 67th floor:
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Grand Central
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NY at NIGHT
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TLOZ Link5
February 5th, 2004, 06:56 PM
No words can describe what I think of those pictures.
Dude, Knight, you should make the last photo your avatar :mrgreen:
Scruffy88
February 9th, 2006, 03:40 AM
damn. those pics were awesome. Ive dreamt of going up there and seeing that view. Im surprised though that from the 67th floor close to the highest floor there, you barely if even see over the Metlife tower. i thought it would be much higherup. I guess the spire takes up alot more of the 1046 foot height than I imagined. great pics
ablarc
February 11th, 2006, 04:14 PM
The Chrysler's soooo cool. To think for 20-30 years it was considered a borderline embarassment by the architectural critics/morons.:mad:
They also thought that about Penn Station and the Singer Building.
They just got through thinking that about 2 Columbus Circle.
Kitsch: that'sthe brush all these buildings have been tarred with.
It's due to the fact that all these buildings rely on fancy dress for their effect (Van Alen even dressed up as his building). Clothing goes in and out of style.
By contrast, the very greatest buildings are more or less naked structure (or at least pretend to be): Chartres, the Parthenon, the Eiffel Tower, almost anything by Calatrava, a villa by Palladio, the Pantheon, buildings by Mies, Nervi and Corbu, much of Foster's work, the Guggenheim NY, even the Taj Mahal.
Gehry: he's nothing but clothes (has to hire engineers to devise the hangers), but those clothes are amazing.
Funkytown
February 12th, 2006, 08:59 PM
The Chrysler building is the most romantic and sexy building in the world.Thankyou so much for those pics.It seems like such a waste not to use the spire for something,such as a small hotel or restaurant.It is so beautiful that it should be enjoyed by all.
City Spire
February 14th, 2006, 05:44 AM
damn. those pics were awesome. Ive dreamt of going up there and seeing that view. Im surprised though that from the 67th floor close to the highest floor there, you barely if even see over the Metlife tower. i thought it would be much higherup. I guess the spire takes up alot more of the 1046 foot height than I imagined. great pics
Same here, I never knew that the 67th floor actually is where the last "normal" windows are.
I´ve never seen pics from the top of Chrysler building. Interesting I must say. Thanks for sharing!
Chrysler
March 4th, 2009, 04:48 PM
Hi NYAtKnight
Just wondering do you happen to have any more pics that you wouldnt mind sharing? I just adore the building and cant get enough info on the place right now which is helping with the writing of a book.
Did you use the Express elevator? How were the corridors leading to the room where the function was held?
I wonder what the former Observatory is like now? I do hope that hasnt been ripped apart like the Cloud Club has been.
Hopeful of some more fabulous pictures!
Cheers
Lana
Merry
December 11th, 2009, 06:46 AM
Edit: Apologies, I missed this (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4386&highlight=chrysler+building) thread in my search :o. The links have since been posted there (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showpost.php?p=308767&postcount=105).
Answers About the Chrysler Building
Following is the first set of answers from David Stravitz (http://www.davidstravitz.com/), the author of “The Chrysler Building: Creating a New York Icon Day by Day (http://www.amazon.com/Chrysler-Building-Creating-York-Icon/dp/1568983549/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256925436&sr=8-2).”
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The Chrysler Building (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/chrysler_building/index.html) is magnificently unique however viewed, near or afar.
Who owns and operates it now? Are there ever guided tours for people who don’t normally have business dealings that bring them into this New York City landmark/treasure?
— Posted by Perley J. Thibodeau
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In the summer of 2008, Tishman Speyer Properties sold 90 percent ownership of the Chrysler Building to the Abu Dhabi Investment Council. The price was an estimated $800 million. Speyer and Travelers Insurance purchased the building for $220 million in 1997. Before that, it was owned by Jack Kent Cooke. It has been a very long time since the family of Walter P. Chrysler owned the building (1947). Although Speyer only owns 10 percent, it continues to be the managing agent.
I do not believe there are guided tours, and if there were you would not see the 71st floor observatory, or the old Cloud Club (Floors 66-68) since each has been long since demolished. You can, I believe, walk in the lobby and maybe take a peek at the restored elevators from a distance. Kind of sad, don’t you think? The topmost floor, the 75th, is — are you ready? — occupied by a dentist (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/26/garden/26mayor.html?scp=1&sq=drafting%20dreaming%20and%20drilling&st=cse).
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What’s happening with the Cloud Club? I’ve read at various times over there last few years that there was interest in opening it to the public again, but nothing ever seems to happen. I was fortunate to see it for myself a few years ago. It’s an incredible space and unlike anything else in the city. I can’t help but believe it would be an instant hit.
— Posted by Michael Califra
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A few years ago (about 2002), I was invited to a party up there and viewed what was left of the old club’s three floors (66th, 67th and 68th floors). Absolutely nothing is left, since it was demolished in the early 1970s. At the time, the space had undergone some renovations (plumbing and electrical) and all the walls were bare white. It was a “vanilla box.” Their intention, I believe (best guess), was to use it for social functions and subsequently rent it out as office space.
What transpired between then and now? I do not have a clue. I cannot imagine it being another club.
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My opinion of the Chrysler Building is that it is the most exuberant and beautiful building in New York City, and perhaps in the world. I have been disappointed not to be allowed in to see inside the building in the post-9/11 world. (The last time I tried was 2003, however, so maybe things have changed?)
Is there a way to get in, individually or as part of a tour, to see the inside of the building?
— Posted by as
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There are no tours to my knowledge. It is sad, but after 9/11, the Chrysler once again reigns as New York’s second-largest skyscraper after the Empire State Building. But back in December 1929 (a few months before completion), it was for six months the world’s tallest man-made structure.
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Did Chrysler ever have a significant presence in the building? If so, when did it move?
— Posted by Greg
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Yes, Walter P. Chrysler kept an office as well as an opulent huge private apartment on the top floor. The quarters had a lavish dining room, and at the time, he was proud to boast of having the highest toilet in Manhattan.
It was his intention to have the Chrysler Building, at 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, become headquarters for the car company, but that never did happen. In fact, he seldom visited the apartment and remained mostly in Chrysler’s headquarters in Detroit.
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Oh, how wonderful to know this man is around! I can remember the cars on display, the paneled elevators and the lounge at the top, where I enjoyed a drink. Thank you, sir!
— Posted by Miles, Naples, Fl
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Of course, you are referring to the Chrysler Salon on the street floor. There you would see the latest year models of gleaming Chryslers, Plymouths, Dodges and the long-since-discontinued DeSoto. DeSoto was just under Chrysler and considered a “poor man’s Chrysler.” Old DeSotos are very desirable for collectors these days.
Passers-by would see many of these cars turning 360 degrees on revolving platforms.
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Please explain connection between Chrysler Building and Cooper Union. Is there access to the top of the spire?
— Posted by R.
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The Chrysler Building sits on grounds owned by Cooper Union, which represents an endowment for the college. Instead of paying property tax to the city, the Chrysler Building pays Cooper Union, which is tax exempt. As such, even though the Chrysler Building would, like any other commercial structure, be paying real estate taxes, not a single dollar in taxes has gone to new York since its construction. Cooper Union acquired the property in 1902, and has so far upheld its tax-exemption status going back to a charter that dates back to 1859 when it was founded.
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Why was the current landlord permitted to demolish the beautiful, historic Art Deco speakeasy that was built on some of the uppermost floors of the building?? As I understand it, this was destroyed to make way for office space. So sad.
— Posted by JoeBoy
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Actually the Cloud Club was demolished not by the current landlord (now Abu Dhabi owns 90 percent), but by maybe four previous owners or more. Best guess, it was demolished in 1971 for economic reasons. This was the time the building was really falling into serious disrepair. Instead of preserving a gem of a landmark, just like the destruction of Pennsylvania Station, they decided to “trash it” for goodness’ sake. There was nothing to protect it, and that’s so unfortunate. “Gone in 60 seconds.” It’s all about the bottom line. How unfortunate!
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I have wondered how as this iconic building ages its oddly shaped windows in the scalloped arches are kept waterproofed and functional after decades of punishing weather and changing temperatures.
— Posted by Larry Ray
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Due to leaks in the spire, the building has had extensive renovation. However most of the many windows were fine. Restoration of the spire was finished in 2002.
This structure has had serious waterproofing problems over the years. While the SS skin looked great from below, it had it’s fair share of water problems. In the past 10 years, there’s been some serious repairs to the ever-leaking problems. Finally, they’ve got it under control. While the stainless steel crown looked great, it unfortunately leaked. It’s taken a very large and costly effort to get it under control. It should be noted that the SS crown was custom fabricated from two sheet metal shops right inside the building. Every cut of the stainless steel was done by hand and nailed onto the structure, and over time they leaked. Correcting this required a huge undertaking. This masterpiece of design needed serious attention. In the end, it was worth it.
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Where did the African marble in the lobby come from? Also, is it true there is a bathroom in the very top of the tower?
— Posted by Don
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Much of the slabs are Moroccan rouge flamme marble streamed with white and other colors. They were used to line the walls of the main concourse. The elevator lobbies are framed in amber Mexican onyx, and the floor is tiled in sienna travertine.
Walter Chrysler insisted on having the highest bathroom in the world. He succeeded for six months. Was there a higher bathroom in the Empire State Building? Must have been! So for at least six months, until perhaps the early part of 1931, his throne was the highest in the world. His throne was unseated (pun) after 15 minutes (six months) of fame.
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Along with the Empire State Building, these buildings are in my opinion true, realized ideas of what architectural icons are. Buildings that come to be loved over time and through their uniqueness. Whether it be the style, scale, or meaning. I know the times are different and the ideas of what an architectural icon is has changed, but I cannot ignore the feeling I get when I see such buildings compared to the forced symbolic buildings architects try to create today. It becomes more about the big shot’s name than the actual architecture and building itself. These buildings were pure architectural statement on not just the city scale or the country, but on a universal scale for all to see and know. I love this building.
— Posted by Lukas Argyros
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The Chrysler Building is unlike any other building in the world. Built and completed in 14 months (1929-1930), it looks like it’s visiting this otherwise uncivilized planet. And unlike the Empire State Building, which is far superior to most boxy buildings of today, the Chrysler is a customized structure. In other words, it was hand fabricated from scratch. The flush windows, the stainless steel crown, the spire, the eagles — these were all fabricated from sheet metal shops on the 65th and 67th floor. While the Empire State is a gem of a building, it nevertheless came together from standard existing stock items taken from catalogs. The Chrysler was sculpted virtually by hand. Most of the rest of the buildings of today are boxes that capitalize on maximizing space in exchange for beauty. The Chrysler at 80 is eons ahead of its peers. It’s still the ruling “king of skyscrapers.”
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From what material is the famous facade constructed? How is it maintained?
— Posted by Harvey Kaufman, MD
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As it says on one of the original Chrysler Building construction 8×10 negatives in my collection, and on Page 108 in my book, the steel facade is “Constructed of Enduro-KA2 and Rezistal/Stainless Steel.” And that also includes the eight eagles.
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What buildings were on the site before construction began on the Chrysler Building? And, yes, is there a tour of the building available?
— Posted by Lyn in PA
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A four-story structure built in 1880 and owned by Brooklyn politician and real estate developer William H. Reynolds. Reynolds was a key developer in Lido Beach in Nassau County.
I don’t believe there are any tours. And if there were, what’s left to see up there? Both the observatory and the Cloud Club are long since gone. The lobby and the 32 restored elevators are gorgeous, but that’s about it.
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Who currently has the office at the very top of the building with the four windows on each side?
— Posted by Steve
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To the best of my knowledge, it was occupied by a dentist. Imagine that at that height, you could feel the structure swaying. Ouch!
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/answers-about-the-chrysler-building/#more-110803
Answers About the Chrysler Building, Part 2
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Where can one find information about the Chanin Building, a beautiful art deco tower across the street that must have gone up at about the same time?
— Posted by Paul
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The Chanin Building (http://www.nyc-architecture.com/MID/MID019.htm) was completed a few months before the completion of the Chrysler Building. It’s a 56-floor Deco gem that once had an outdoor observatory. Early photographs in my book show that many of the Chrysler excavations were taken from the Chanin. Also, as the Chrysler began to rise, you would see many views of the Chanin right through to its completion, It was completed in 1929, roughly two to three months before the stock market crash. There is a photo in the book (page 67) that was taken from the 51st floor of the Chrysler Building under construction. This photo was shot (best guess) in July or August 1929, and it clearly shows that the Chanin had already been completed with some tenants already in place.
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The Empire State is, well, big. The World Trade towers (although it’s now totally uncool to say this) always seemed blunt, looming and scary. But the Chrysler Building … the Chrysler building soars.
When I view the New York skyline, that’s where my eye goes. It’s like a diamond surrounded by mere chips of glass. Thanks for this article. Looking forward to the responses.
— Posted by Kinnakeet
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Right you are! The Chrysler is so sleek — so symmetrical. Nothing compares! Can you believe it’s 80 years old? When it was finished, you mostly had boxy looking cars. It wasn’t until around 1936 that cars began to have streamlined, bull-nosed symmetry. Chrysler stood out then as it does today. Like a spaceship just paying a short visit to a primitive planet.
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Is it true that at the very top of the building there is a toilet/bathroom overlooking the entire city of New York?
— Posted by Paul
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On the top floors, Walter P. Chrysler had his office and private residence. He boasted, at the time, that he had the highest throne (toilet) in the world. In 1929, that was true.
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I heard the Chrysler Building’s ornaments and needle were faced with a unique steel-alloy called “Nirosta” that would never need to be shined. is this true?
(And per #34, it is true; the lucky few were able to access the very top of the spire via maintenance stairs and shaftways, right to the extreme top, where some of the “windows” were open to the air — it was a different world, indeed.)
— Posted by Eric Mueller
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ThyssenKrupp Nirosta GmbH is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of stainless steel. Much of the Chrysler spire was made from this rustproof, flat steel. And that included the eagles. Enduro KA-2 metal is a stainless steel alloy developed in Germany. On page 111 of my book, you can see a picture of the ever narrowing shaftway that provided access right up into the near-needle itself. This photo was taken from the 77th floor. I believe the highest and fewest windows are on that floor, which would be one on each of four corners.
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I once heard from a cousin of mine that our grandfather, for whom I am named, was one of the early tenants in the Chrysler Building. Is there any historical database I could consult to identify the tenants from the 1930s? Thank you.
— Posted by john f penrose
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I don’t know of any database; however, the two original tenants that I know of were Shaw Walker and J. S. Bache & Company, who had offices above the Chrysler Salon.
I’m not sure when A. B. Dick, Adams Hats, Pan American Airways, Schrafft’s and Florsheim Shoes first opened up there. In a 1936 photo, these were some of the tenants along 42nd Street side. It is quite likely they were there from the start. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.
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Do we know for certain that the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building at 40 Wall Street was completed before the Chrysler’s spire was put in place so that the Bank of Manhattan was therefore briefly the tallest building in the world until the Chrysler assumed that mantle once its spire was in place?
— Posted by Steve
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It was completed a short few months before the surprise rising of Chrysler’s 181-foot, 27-ton spire. H. Craig Severance, 40 Wall’s architect — who was the old partner of William Van Alen, Chrysler’s architect — assumed 40 Wall would become the tallest in the world at 927 feet. This was to be around two feet taller than Chrysler’s estimated 925 feet. When the secret spire rose (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/26/garden/26creator.html?scp=1&sq=height%20never%20again%20to%20be%20scaled&st=cse), Chrysler’s final height became 1046 feet, 4¾ inches above Lexington Avenue. That is a full 120 feet taller than 40 Wall. So for six months, Chrysler reigned as the world’s tallest until it was unseated to become No. 2 for the next 50 years by the Empire State Building.
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The Chrysler Building is 1,046 feet tall, and so is the New York Times Building. However, the Chrysler Building seems taller looking at skyline pictures. How do they measure these buildings’ heights?
— Posted by Joe Caputo
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It appears that the Chrysler is taller by a mere four and three-quarters inches. You’ve got a great eye. Seriously, it’s possible it appears taller because it’s not boxy looking, and perhaps that gives the illusion that it’s much higher than the New York Times Building. In actuality, the difference is only a third of a foot.
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I don’t know what it is about the Chrysler Building that so enthralls. I have always thought it the most interesting skyscraper in my experience. There is something about the relationship of the proportions of its four stages, the sturdy multiform base, the principal shaft, the secondary shaft, and then the Deco flowering of the summit of the building that is stunningly organic.
Many plant stems gradually extend themselves and bud in much the same fashion. Can it be that in the end, harmonious proportion married to design based on nature is what pleases the eye? Looking forward to your book, and thank you.
— Posted by Manny
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Aren’t you glad it was “planted” in the epicenter of the world?
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/answers-about-the-chrysler-building-part-2/
rp23g7
December 11th, 2009, 03:39 PM
Wow, resurrected thread. I went into the lobby when we were there. They anly let you as far as the side lobbies though. Got some pretty good pictures of the ceiling and walls.
Beautiful place, i may try going there during business hrs next october to see if security will let me take a better look.
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