The Chrysler Building

The Chrysler Building, one-upmanship at it's best. This was tallest building in the world August 1930 through April 1931. While this building was being constructed another building, the Bank of Manhattan Building at 40 Wall Street, was also being constructed. Both buildings were vying to be the tallest building in the world. The architects involved, William Van Allen (Chrysler) and H. Craig Severance (Manhattan), had once been partners but had become bitter rivals. When it was complete the Manhattan Building was one metre taller than the Chrysler building, but it held the title for only a matter of days. Van Allen had left the final spire of the Chrysler building off all final drawings of the building and the spire itself was secretly constructed inside the metal pyramid-cap of the building and the 27-ton spire was pushed up from the inside only after the Manhattan building was finished. The spire added 37.5 metres to the height of the Chrysler Building and Van Allen beat Severance by 36.5 metres.



It was a hollow victory, though. Van Allen was accused of taking bribes from the contractors involved in the contruction of the building and Chrysler refused to pay his fees for the design of the building as a result. Van Allen's reputation was ruined. And in April 1931 the Empire State Building was finished, and well... this is what the Chrysler Building looks like looking down from the 86th-floor observation deck of the 102-storey Empire State Building.