Chrysler Building

One of New York’s tallest commercial buildings hosting mainly office space.

Address: Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017.
Architect: William Van Alen.
Awards: N/A
Best views of: The East River, Roosevelt Island and the Manhattan skyline.
Built: 1928-1930.
Dining options: None available, although there are plenty of dining options nearby.
Elevators: 270 meters per minute or 10mph/16kmh.
Floors: 77.
Height: 1046ft/318m.
Opening times: 8AM – 6PM.
Price: The lobby is free to visit.
Tour guide: The building does not offer tours, although Open House New York has been known to host talks and tours in the second week of October.
Visitors per year: NYPI.net estimates that the building has around 4 million visitors each year
When to go: As it is a commercial building, it is best visiting outside of busy work hours such as early morning, midday lunch and early evening.

What is the purpose of this building?
The building is used for commercial purposes and is home to many businesses and offices.

Interesting facts about this building
The Chrysler Building was once home to the Cloud Club. Occupying the 66th, 67th and 68th floors, the exclusive club entertained members of New York’s elite until it was closed in 1979.

Current and previous owners
The building has had many owners since the Chrysler family first sold it in 1953. In 1998, it was bought by Tishman Speyer Properties and the Travelers Insurance Group, although they sold a 90% stake of the building to the Abu Dhabi Investment Council in 2008.

Dress code and what to bring
Only the lobby of the Chrysler building is open to tourists. There, tourists can admire the art-deco design of the lobby and the decorative ceiling mural. However, visitors are asked to be respectful as it is a busy building full of businesses and workers.

What’s unique about it
The art deco design of the Chrysler Building makes it one of the most recognisable features of New York City’s skyline. Acting as Chrysler Automobiles Headquarters until the 1950s, many design features of the building took inspiration from automobiles. Traditional building gargoyles instead resemble Chrysler hood ornaments and even the reflection of the building’s Stainless Steel was designed to mimic the reflective surface of a car.

When are the queues long and short?
As it is a commercial building, it is best to avoid visiting the lobby during busy work hours.