New York. Sun-kissed Crysler Building.

New York. Sun-kissed Crysler Building.
Originally uploaded by egold

The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Standing at 319 m (1,047 ft) high, it was briefly the world's tallest building before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. However, the Chrysler Building remains the world's tallest brick building.
The Chrysler Building was designed by architect William Van Alen to house the Chrysler Corporation. When the ground breaking occurred on September 19, 1928, there was an intense competition in New York City to build the world's tallest skyscraper. Despite a frantic pace (the building was erected at an average rate of four floors per week), no workers died during the construction of this skyscraper... Van Alen's original design for the skyscraper calls for a decorative jewel-like glass crown, but building contractor William H. Reynolds disapproved Van Alen's original plan.The design and lease was sold to Walter P. Chrysler, who worked with Van Alen and redesigned the skyscraper. As construction was completed on May 28, 1930, the added height of the spire allowed the Chrysler Building to call the tallest building in the world and the Eiffel Tower as the tallest structure. It was the first man-made structure to stand taller than 1,000 feet (305 meters). Van Alen's satisfaction in these accomplishments was likely muted by Walter Chrysler's later refusal to pay the balance of his architectural fee. In less than a year after it opened to the public on May 27, 1930, the Chrysler Building was surpassed in height by the Empire State Building...