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High above Midtown Manhattan, the decisive move was hidden inside the tower itself. While the race for the world’s tallest building tightened, architect William Van Alen quietly arranged for the Chrysler Building’s spire to be assembled in secret in the upper part of the structure — out of sight, and until the right moment, out of reach.
That surprise was the point. The Chrysler Building, commissioned by Walter P. Chrysler and rising at 405 Lexington Avenue at the corner of East 42nd Street, was already an ambitious project. Construction began in 1928. Van Alen designed it as an Art Deco skyscraper with a gleaming stainless-steel crown, the kind of building that does not exactly whisper. Its ornament pushed the point further: stylized eagle heads and details modeled on Chrysler automobile parts, turning the tower into a piece of showmanship as much as engineering.
But in the contest with 40 Wall Street, showmanship needed timing. In 1929, the spire was hoisted into place. With that, the Chrysler Building exceeded the height of 40 Wall Street and seized the title everyone was chasing. When the building opened in 1930, it stood 1,046 feet tall, including the spire, and became the tallest building in the world.
It would not keep that title for long. The Empire State Building surpassed it in 1931. Still, the brevity almost makes the victory better. The Chrysler Building’s great moment was not about holding the crown forever; it was about the elegance of the coup.
And that is why the building still lands with such force. It is not only tall. It is theatrical. Step inside the lobby, with its marble, metal finishes, and ceiling mural by Edward Trumbull, or look up at that bright, unmistakable crown, and you can still feel the wager: in a city of giants, one tower won by keeping its best card hidden until the last possible second.