- Title: USA: NEW YORK'S CHRYSLER BUILDING CELEBRATES IT'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY
- Date: 27th May 2005
- Summary: (L!WE) NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) VARIOUS OF THE CHRYSLER BUILDING AT NIGHT/ PAN DOWN BUILDING CLOSE OF ART DECO DECORATION ON SIDE OF BUILDING
- Embargoed: 11th June 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Business,History,Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVAE19ZE0Y7Q5E2PKMT59JCIAGE8
- Story Text: The landmark Chrysler building in New York City celebrates its 75th anniversary.
The historical New York City landmark, the Chrysler building, celebrated its 75th anniversary on Friday (May 27).
To mark the passage of exactly 75 years since the Chrysler building opened on May 27th, 1930, the co-owners of the building, Tishman Speyer Properties, provided access to the restored Art Deco lobby, the elevator doors and interiors, as well as the glistening steel gargoyles and winged urns on the 61st and 31st floors.
The access was provided as part of the Art Deco Society gala, which is being held in the midst of Art Deco Week in New York. The Week is seven days of receptions, building tours, lectures and seminars during the 8th World Congress on Art Deco sponsored by the Art Deco Society of New York.
As part of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the building, the US Postal Service unveiled a stamp of the Chrysler Building. This stamp is part of it's new stamp series, "Masters of Modern Architecture". Later, tourists and other visitors gathered eagerly to buy the stamps as memories.
Assistant Property Manager, Chrysler Center, Amanda Carpenter, was at hand to speak about what makes the glistening building special.
"There's so much that's exciting about the Chrysler building. It's such a New York icon. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who couldn't recognize and pick the Chrysler building out of the skyline if they had to.
Tishman Speyer Properties has done a great job restoring this landmark. We spent a year and a half just restoring this mural here in the lobby alone. We've done extensive restoration of the building elevators which as you may or may not know are all landmarks. Each one of them is individually unique," Carpenter said.
Commissioned by Walter P. Chrysler, the building opened its doors on May 27, 1930. Chrysler, whose first car made its debut in 1924 at the New York Auto Show, also had his personal offices in the building. He conceived the building as family business independent of the auto industry, and decided the city was the perfect stage for an exuberant architectural statement.
However, the Chrysler building, at 1048 feet, was able to hold on to its title of the "tallest building in the world" for only a year. In 1931, the Empire State Building, at 1250 feet, took on that prestigious mantle. Now, the Empire State Building stands at 1,453 feet, 8 9/16 inches or 443.2 meters, including it's lightning rod.
The Empire State building might have emerged taller but many people still consider the Chrysler building as more beautiful and picturesque.
Under Tishman Speyer Properties' ownership, the stainless steel masterpiece has seen some of its 1930s grandeur expanded, renovated and transformed into a modern
99 million square foot office center. During the extensive renovations to the Chrysler Building that began in 1998, Tishman Speyer Properties focused on the preservation of the classic features, repair and restoration of the landmark facade and state-of-the-art improvement of the interior systems and mechanics.
For many, the Chrysler Center remains an integral part not only of the New York skyline, but also an internationally recognized symbol of human accomplishment and potential. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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