What should I see in NYC? April 30, 2008 2:16 PM Subscribe
The Chrysler Building:77 floors, 319.5m (1048 feet) high, 29961 tons of steel, 3,826,000 bricks, near 5000 windows of total Art Deco coolness.
A friend asked me what to see in NYC.
Infested with flying dinosaurs of course. posted by Artw at 2:21 PM on April 30, 2008
Watch Cremaster 3, gives a whole 'nother perspective. posted by Science! at 2:21 PM on April 30, 2008
Cremaster 3 (warning: horrible flash site, Matthew Barney content, resizes browser, etc. May contain Bjork.) posted by LionIndex at 2:23 PM on April 30, 2008
Or, you could just ignore me and listen to Science! posted by LionIndex at 2:24 PM on April 30, 2008
Science! don't bring no linkage. posted by Artw at 2:26 PM on April 30, 2008
That might be a good thing, though. posted by LionIndex at 2:27 PM on April 30, 2008
Ah, the beautiful building that paid for my education. Sorta. posted by interrobang at 2:36 PM on April 30, 2008
holy shit, that old photo of the worker unharnessed on the chrysler buildings gargoyle caused my chest to tighten. posted by shmegegge at 2:42 PM on April 30, 2008
My favorite bit of Chrysler Building lore is that its final height was kept secret during construction:
Prior to its completion, the building stood about even with a rival project at 40 Wall Street designed by H. Craig Severance. Severance increased the height of his project and then publicly claimed the title of the world's tallest building. In response, Van Alen obtained permission for a 56.3 m long spire and had it secretly constructed inside the frame of the building. The spire was delivered to the site in 4 different sections. On October 23, 1929, the bottom section of the spire was hoisted onto the top of the building's dome and lowered into the 66th floor of the building. The other remaining sections of the spire were hoisted and riveted to the first spire section in sequential order in just 90 minutes.
As construction was completed on May 28, 1930, the added height of the spire allowed the Chrysler Building to surpass 40 Wall Street as 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.
Today, developer's crow about those kinds of things well in advance. posted by Exchequer at 2:43 PM on April 30, 2008
A man
Flies a plane
Into the
Chrysler Building posted by m0nm0n at 3:05 PM on April 30, 2008
It only held that record for a year, and then the Empire State Building beat it by a staggering 400 feet.
Today, developer's crow about those kinds of things well in advance.
Au contraire! The builders of the Burj Dubai refuse to announce the official height because they are worried someone will announce something bigger. They will only guarantee it will be the world's tallest. posted by smackfu at 3:09 PM on April 30, 2008
There was a bit in Smithsonian a couple months ago about Annie Liebovitz' 're-creation' in a away of that Margaret Bourke-White shot on the gargoyle. I got dizzy just reading it. posted by pupdog at 3:24 PM on April 30, 2008
Chrysler building optical fun:
If you are on the ground near it, you can position yourself so when you look up at them, the wings and the eagle head form an entire bird.
And the lobby and inlaid-wood elevators are just amazing. I haven't been in there for years--I guess anyone just standing around looking would be assumed to be a terrortourist. posted by hexatron at 3:28 PM on April 30, 2008
A man
Flies a plane
Into the
Chrysler Building
posted by m0nm0n at 6:05 PM on April 30
And right up there with the all-time faveskyscrapers in NYC is, of course, the Woolworth Building. A visit to its lobby is highly recommended. posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:04 PM on April 30, 2008
And right up there with the all-time faveskyscrapers in NYC is, of course, the Woolworth Building.
Apparently, the Woolworth building fired missiles at the world trade center on 9/11. posted by 445supermag at 5:39 PM on April 30, 2008
When we used to drive into NYC from Long Island, I always looked for the Chrysler Building first. Even as a kid I had a liking for Art Deco skyscrapers. posted by tommasz at 5:42 PM on April 30, 2008
Thirding Cremaster 3. (would that make it Cremaster 9?)
IMDB link. If you're interested in this building, you must watch this "movie". Alas, it's not on Netflix -- what is there is only a 30 minute excerpt, and that's no way to watch a Cremaster movie. posted by intermod at 6:03 PM on April 30, 2008
Holy smokes those doors..! Never seen the building in person, but I want a house just like that.
Only, you know, smaller and more responsible, house-scale. posted by ZakDaddy at 6:41 PM on April 30, 2008
Frankly I am pissed that they replaced Burritoville with that stupid Camille's joint. Like there aren't eight trillion places to get an effing panini or a bowl of soup in that neighborhood.
...six Starbucks within one street-cross of the Chrysler Building
Oh, for christ sakes. Pre-chainstore NYC was better, goddam it. posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:01 PM on April 30, 2008
But Burritoville is just another chain.
Going for quasi-mex, I prefer Fresco(selfish-link) for its tex-mex-asian fusion, powered by an soft tortilla machine. And low prices. And low prices. Did I mention the prices? They're low. posted by hexatron at 7:29 PM on April 30, 2008
A man
Flies a plane
Into the
Chrysler Building
BURMA SHAVE posted by blue_beetle at 7:34 PM on April 30, 2008
Zakdaddy's left image is the interior of an elevator.
All the elevators are different, but they all look like that. Only different. They are amazing.
The right image is an elevator door as seen in the lobby. I don't think the upper floors do this to the elevator doors, but I last saw them many years and a few renovations ago.
The main neat renovation, I think in the 1980s, was the lights on the finial. They were in the original design but not installed until the renovation. That's probably why there are no old night shots in the photo set. posted by hexatron at 7:38 PM on April 30, 2008
Mention should be made of Roger Debris' gown in the stage version of Mel Brook's "The Producers", which was styled after the Chrysler building for to give old Rog the big yocks line "I look like the Chrysler building." Maybe you had to be there. Maybe not.
Anyway, here is the only picture I found in a few minutes of looking.
Please join me in effete snobberosity: "Mel Brooks showed early promise in 'The Twelve Chairs' and 'The Producers', but, with the possible exception of 'Young Frankenstein', never came near fulfilling that promise, opting instead for the easy paths of fart jokes and that anything about jews is automatically funny (the schwartz, anyone?)" posted by hexatron at 7:51 PM on April 30, 2008
Also, Neal Bascomb's Higher is a fascinating and grippingly written account of the race to build the world's tallest skyscraper. As I recall, he tries his best at impartiality but (like me) clearly favours the Art Deco exuberance of the Chrysler over the sheer monolithic verticality of the Empire State.
Particularly sad how the Chrysler's architect, William Van Alen, was run out of the big-time building trade by Walter Chrysler in a mostly unfounded fit of pique over cost overruns (having to construct the filial on the 68th floor and hoist it up all at once will do that sort of thing). Guy builds the timeless icon of America's machine-powered Golden Age might in New York, and he never gets another major commission in his life. posted by gompa at 7:57 PM on April 30, 2008
The Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building are both very much of their time. The PSFS Building looks years and years ahead of both. posted by deafmute at 11:09 PM on April 30, 2008
I also have a favorite bit of Chrysler building lore, from a tv documentary. The 16sq. foot room at the very top of the building has four windows, for a view of the entire city. And one seat:
a functioning toilet. posted by Phred182 at 4:01 AM on May 1, 2008
The Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building are both very much of their time. The PSFS Building looks years and years ahead of both.
yeah, but now the PSFS just looks big and boxy and dated. CB and ESB still look cool. i dunno if that's just cause we're so innundated with them and told they're cool? (i do still love the psfs sign though). posted by misanthropicsarah at 7:25 AM on May 1, 2008
Mention should be made of Roger Debris' gown in the stage version of Mel Brook's "The Producers", which was styled after the Chrysler building for to give old Rog the big yocks line "I look like the Chrysler building."
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posted by Artw at 2:21 PM on April 30, 2008