The Chrysler Building – Lexington Avenue & 42nd Street

 

            While the Chrysler Building is located adjacent to Grand Central, it is different because unlike Grand Central it is a skyscraper, and was not designed to serve as a hub of transportation.  They are similar however, in that they are both iconic New York City landmarks, and were both built in the early 1900’s.  The Chrysler Building is the greatest American expression of the Art Deco style, with its sleek, symmetrical and linear design elements.

 

            The Chrysler Building was designed by the architect, William Van Alen, and while his design was thought to be too expensive and advanced for contractor, William H. Reynolds, in 1928 Walter P. Chrysler bought the plans from Van Alen for $2 million, and had him make it into an even more ambitious design by adding additional stories. Van Alen’s Art Deco design included the building’s iconic “diamond” crown and enormous showroom windows topped with several stories complete with glass corners, giving it an air of weightlessness.  Chrysler wanted to bring back some of the glamour the area once had, and wished to have an iconic building constructed to be used as the headquarters of the Chrysler Corporation. It was the headquarters during the 1930’s until the 1950’s.  Chrysler wanted to create a true, “Cathedral of Commerce”, which is what the early skyscrapers were representative of.  The area surrounding Grand Central had a great deal of available space that was commercially inexpensive, so Van Alen and Chrysler collaborated to build the tallest building in the world. Construction began in 1928, at the same time 40 Wall Street was being constructed. Its plans were to be 85 feet taller than the Chrysler Building.  Van Alen and Chrysler secretly added a 186 foot spire to the top of the Chrysler Building, surpassing and surprising 40 Wall Street, which had already claimed and celebrated the title four days earlier.  The Chrysler Building maintained the title from May 28, 1930 when it was completed, standing at 1,046 feet high, until 1931.  When the Empire State Building was completed 11 months later, it became the new tallest building in the world.   

 

            Details were incorporated into the design of the building to reflect the machine age of the 1920’s and Chrysler automobiles in particular.  All four corners on the 31st floor of the building have silver winged ornaments on them. The ornaments decorating the corners of the building resemble 1929 Chrysler radiator caps, which are designed as the cap of the God Mercury, the god of speed. Images of the 1929 Chrysler Speedster surround the winged caps.  Also, similar to the hood ornaments of the 1920’s Chrysler Plymouth cars, gargoyles and eagles protrude from each corner of the building.  What makes the Chrysler Building so iconic and easily identifiable, is the crown of the building.  It has seven terraced arches which radiate upward.  This sunburst pattern was very typically used during the Art Deco period. The skeleton of the building is steel, which is an alloy of carbon and iron, although the exterior is brick, making it the tallest brick building in the world.  The crown of the building is made of stainless steel (nickel) and the spire is made of steel.  Steel possesses greater tensile strength than iron alone, and is more flexible than both iron and stone.  It is also cheaper to produce than iron and stone and is more rust resistant than iron. The Industrial Revolution beginning in the 18th century, brought changes to what was being used for building materials. Iron and steel replaced wood, brick and stone. By the second half of the 19th century, cheap and versatile steel was being mass produced and used to build skyscrapers. Steel was also used in foundations, columns and vertical slabs of buildings to increase strength of the structure. The foundations of the skyscrapers were solid bedrock. When the building first opened to the public, there was a Chrysler dealership in the lobby.  Originally there was an observation deck on the 71st floor of the building called, “Celestial”, but was closed to the public in 1945. There was also, “The Cloud Club”, from the 66th-68th floors until the 1970’s.  WCBS television station transmitted from the building from the 1940’s through the 1950’s.  Chrysler’s apartment and office suite were to be built at the top of the building, which boasts 77 floors and 34 elevators.

 

            The lobby of the building is one of the most expensive and ornate in the city. The entire ceiling is covered in a beautiful mural, designed in an Art Deco style which was popular at the time.  Art Deco is recognizable by its elegant geometric patterns and borrows motifs from ancient Egypt and Greece.  The ceiling mural was painted by Edward Trumbull called, “Transport and Human Endeavor”, and it portrays scenes from Chrysler’s assembly line, The Chrysler Building itself, and Charles Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic on The Spirit of St. Louis.  The mural in the lobby is filled with sharp angles, triangles, chrome detailing, and a multitude of patterns, including some curved lines.  The scenes displayed in the lobby are tributes to the age of flight and the airplane itself, and also of the workers who actually created the building.  African marble, which is very expensive, was used for the walls of the lobby.  It’s obvious that money was no object when creating this building and Chrysler spared no expense, spending $15 million of his own money to complete it so that his sons would get ownership of the building. The lighting in the lobby helps enhance the scenes since it is somewhat dim and adds to the ambience and grandeur.   The intricately designed elevators each have their own custom designed doors, all in the Art Deco style. TheChrysler Building mixed the modern look of the new skyscrapers on the exterior, while the interior reflects the historical past using Art Deco details.

            The Chrysler family no longer owns the building, it was sold in 1953.  The Cooper Union owns the land under the Chrysler Building, and they hold the deed to the building itself. The Chrysler Building has always been and continues to be used as an office building, and therefore the public may only enter its lobby. It continues to be praised by architects for its design, and it was one of the first buildings to ever use stainless steel over a large exposed surface of a building.  It’s also marveled at for how quickly and safely it was built.  Four floors were built each week and none of the workers were killed during the process.

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Grand Central – Lexington Avenue & 42nd Street

 

            The original Grand Central Depot opened in 1871 and was designed by the architect, John Snook.  It was originally built to fulfill the need of the growing city of New York and the explosion of travel and transport of goods by train.  The land itself was bought by shipping tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1869.  In 1898 further expansions of the railway yards of Grand Central were completed under the guidance of architect Bradford Gilbert, and interior renovations were overseen by Samuel Huckel in 1900, when the building officially became known as Grand Central Station.  The massive train shed, made of steel and glass, was seen as one of the greatest engineering feats of its time.  In 1902 after a deadly train crash, plans began once again to make Grand Central bigger and better.  The architectural firm Reed and Stern took on the project in 1904, beating out three other firms for the job. Their ideas were innovative and practical, such as ramps inside to keep pedestrian traffic flowing, and also ramp-like roadways wrapping around the outside of the building, connecting both sides of Park Avenue.  Another architectural firm was hired, Warren & Wetmore, to add details and beauty to the construction, such as the façade of three triumphal arches.  Together the two firms were known as, “Associated Architects”, and they made Grand Central both decorative and functional.  It was designed in the Beaux-Arts style, which combines and adds elements from both Greek and Roman classical structures. An example of this style is reflected in the use of the triumphal arches which were incorporated into Grand Central’s design. Construction took nearly ten years, and began after many years of changing and revising plans.  In February of 1913 the new and improved Grand Central officially opened, becoming the busiest station in the country and also represented the mid-town neighborhood’s growth.    

 

            Although Grand Central has vast, open spaces, there are many small design details incorporated into the design.  Sylvain Salieres, a Parisian artist, was hired to create stone and bronze carvings which included decorative flourishes and ornamental inscriptions.  Sculpted oak leaves and acorns were incorporated also, which were symbols for the Vanderbilt family.  Acorns can also be found on the chandeliers in the Main Waiting Room. Tennessee marble was used for the floors, and Botticino marble was used on the trim of the walls.  The walls themselves were made of imitation Caenstone.  The vaulted ceilings on the lower level of Grand Central are designed with Guastavino tiles, placed in a herringbone design. This area is known as The Whispering Gallery. The perfect arches in the Gallery act as an acoustic aid. When a visitor presses their ear against the tile work, another person's whisper can be heard from the opposite corner, despite all the noise from the crowd. Arches have been used as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamia. Arches give stability and strength to walls without using large, bulky posts and beams. Arches also give a more aesthetically pleasing look to the buildings they are used in. The sculptures on the highly recognizable exterior of Grand Central are those of Mercury, Hercules and Minerva. 

 

            Hotels, office buildings, apartments, shops and skyscrapers began to develop around the area surrounding Grand Central, increasing traffic at Grand Central even further.  The buildings that were linked to Grand Central through pipes and passageways became known as, “Terminal City”, because they were getting both heat and power from the station.  By 1947, 45% of the population was traveling by train using Grand Central.  That changed by the 1950’s when automobiles and planes began to take over as a preferred means of transportation, and by 1954 they were planning to demolish Grand Central.  In 1967, Grand Central was designated as a landmark, and in 1978 was deemed a historic landmark, protecting its posterity by law.  In the 1980’s and 90’s, Grand Central, which was now owned by Metro North, was restored and beautified and once again became a thriving dining and shopping center.

 

            More than just a commuter hub and a place to walk through while getting to a destination, Grand Central has housed broadcast studios in the 1950’s, art exhibits, creative performances, and rallies.  From 1922-1958 the Grand Central Art Galleries were at the terminal, along with a School of Art.  There is even a tennis club which opened in 1965.  The area surrounding Grand Central is one of the most crowded in the world, filled with people, skyscrapers, and cars. Grand Central is one of the most popular places to visit with 750,000 visitors on a daily basis, not only for its travel options, but also for its renowned restaurants and shops. 

 

             To keep the traffic of people flowing in and out of the terminal there are several entrances and exits.  The main entrance is at 89 East 42ndStreet, and there are several more on Vanderbilt Avenue, Lexington Avenue and 45th Street.  The subway at Grand 

Central runs 24 hours, 7 days a week, but the Terminal building closes at 2 A.M. when the Metro-North trains stop running. The four faced opal clock in the center of the Main Concourse is a main attraction and common meeting place for people. The latest endeavor has been connecting the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central below Park Avenue and 44th-48th Streets, known as the East Side Access project, to further facilitate access to convenient transportation. 

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Citations 

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Edward. (n.d.). Introduction to Art Concepts, SAC, ART100. Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sac-artappreciation/chapter/oer-1-27/ 

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Ugc. (2012, December 12). Grand Central Terminal Whispering Gallery. Retrieved from https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/grand-central-terminal-whispering-gallery 

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Lee, H. M., Lee, H. M., Guo, M., & Mattsson, J. (2012, March 27). NYC Then/Now: Great Depression & Great Recession. Retrieved from https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/brooks12/2012/03/27/then-and-now-the-chrysler-building/ 

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Maher, J. (2018, August 9). The Chrysler Building History and Photography - New York's Art Deco Jewel. Retrieved from https://www.jamesmaherphotography.com/new-york-historical-articles/chrysler-building/

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History. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/history/

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Warerkar, T. (2018, December 13). The ultimate guide to Grand Central Terminal. Retrieved from https://ny.curbed.com/2018/12/13/18123971/grand-central-station-nyc-map-hotels-address 

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Grand Central Terminal: An American Icon. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.history.com/.amp/news/grand-central-terminal-an-american-icon-turns-100 

 

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.designbookmag.com/grandcentral.htm 

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