With its flamboyant, somewhat flashy appearance, standing like an enormous lantern over mid-town Manhattan, it was sensational, in time when Manhattan became the beacon of modernism. The Chrysler Building was synonymous with the glamour of the world’s metropolis during the years leading to WWII. This prime office building, and originally the home of Texaco has been seen in endless films, photographs, and art. Kramer v. Kramer (1979); Kiss of Death (1947); and Hannah and her Sisters (1986), just to name three.
The tower’s eccentric architecture embodied the fantasy which German Expressionists envisioned just a decade earlier but could not achieve due to the lack of technology. It was the ultimate glass tower, the dream of Bruno Taut, Mies, and Scheerbart. With crystal-shaped windows crowning the set-back brick structure, the Chrysler was a celebration of hope and faith in the power of the machine to create a better world. The lobby interior were an entire different story. An ultimate expression of Art Deco, the walls were faced with rare marbles, decorative metalwork, and the ceilings featured murals of the tower itself. The remarkable and iconic elevator doors, inlaid with rich woods in Egyptian lotus became reflected the fascination with the culture of ancient Egypt, resulted from the excavation of the intact Tomb of Tutankahmun.
Lets remember the Chrysler building on the day it first opened to the public.
