Opened in 1930 as the headquarters of the eponymous auto empire, the 77-floor Chrysler Building is New York's most flamboyant example of art deco architecture, guarded by stylized eagles of chromium-nickel and topped by a seven-tiered spire reminiscent of the rising sun. Topping out at 1046ft, it held the title of the world's tallest building for 11 months until the nearby Empire State Building sprang up. The best view is from the corner of Third Ave and 44th St — or by using the telescopes on the Empire State Building observation deck to study the Chrysler's facade, which includes basket-weave motifs and a band of abstract automobiles.
Although the Chrysler Building has no restaurant or observation deck, its lobby is a lavish consolation prize. Lobby guards will usher you around the edges as you gaze above at a 20th-century response to the Sistine Chapel – painter Edward Trumbull's ceiling work, Transport and Human Endeavor. An immense mural spanning 78 by 100ft, its depiction of buildings, airplanes and industrious workers on Chrysler assembly lines shows the golden promise of industry and modernity. The elaborately veneered elevators are also especially beautiful, their Egyptian lotus motifs made of inlaid Japanese ash, Oriental walnut and Cuban plum-pudding wood.
