Chrysler Building
One of New York City's finest office buildings, the Chrysler Building was designed as a tribute to the booming automotive industry. Built in 1930, it was the world's tallest skyscraper at the time, until the Empire State Building claimed the spot just months later. There are no organized tours or exhibits, but the gleaming chrome lobby is open to tourists daily The Chrysler Building is an example of Art Deco architecture, and the distinctive ornamentation of the tower is based on the hubcaps that were then being used on Chrysler automobiles. The building is also arguably the best example of the Art Deco period of New York architecture, which was noted as perhaps the most beautiful period of development of buildings in the city.The lobby is similarly elegant. When the building first opened it contained a public viewing gallery near the top, which a few years later was changed into a restaurant, but neither of these enterprises was able to be financially self sustaining during the Great Depression and the former observation floor became a private club. The very top stories of the building are narrow with low sloped ceilings, designed mostly for exterior appearance with interiors useful only to hold radio broadcasting and other mechanical and electrical equipment.
Address: intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue | 
