Chrysler Building

Completed in 1930, the Chrysler Building is a distinctive symbol of New York City, standing 1,046 feet (319 m) high on the east side of Manhattan at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Originally built for the Chrysler Corporation, the building is presently co-owned by TMW Real Estate (75%) and Tishman Speyer Properties (25%). The Chrysler building was designed by William van Alen for a contractor, William H. Reynolds, the same man who dreamed up Dreamland, a by-gone amusement park of Coney Island's heyday. The design was subsequently sold to Walter P. Chrysler as a home for his company's headquarters.

The building in popular culture

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Chrysler Building

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Location

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405 Lexington AvenueNew York, New York, USA

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Constructed1928-1930

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Height

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319 m (1048 ft)

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Stories

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77

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Architect

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William Van Allen

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Structural Engineers

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Ralph Squire and Sons

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Cost

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$20 million (USD)

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• In the movie Armageddon, a chunk of the asteroid hits the Chrysler Building, severing its upper quarter and causing it to crash down on the streets.
• In the video game Parasite Eve, the building is a site of a thorough hostile creature infestation. It is by far the most difficult section of the game.
• Larry Cohen's low budget classic movie "Q: The Winged Serpent" (1982) has the titular dragon-beast nesting just below the spire of the Chrysler Building, from where it launches its campaign of terror on New York City, staying invisible to the citizens by "flying against the sun".