Car Rental New York and Chrysler Building

The Chrysler Building is a New York landmark that you are sure to see as you travel through the city with your car rental in New York.

See this distinct part of New York

Construction of this building began in late 1928. When it was completed, it was the world's tallest skyscraper until the Empire State Building was completed in 1931. There was also a lot of competition to build tall buildings at the time, so the Chrysler Building was built at a rate of four floors per week. Amazingly, no one was killed during construction of the building. The actual building itself stands only two feet taller than 40 Wall Street, but the architect, William Van Alen, was secretly given permission to build a 125 foot spire. When this was placed on top of the building in 1929, the Chrysler Building became the world's tallest building as well as the world's tallest structure (even taller than the Eiffel Tower). This spire was secretly built inside the Chrysler Building so that other architects wouldn't outdo Alen.

Making a grand entrance

The style of the Chrysler Building, which you will see when you visit with your car rental in New York, is that of the Art Deco period. When you walk into the lobby, there is a distinct style. In the corners of all the floors you will find eagles, which are replicas of the 1929 Chrysler hood ornaments. On the 31st floor, you will find replicas of the radiator caps instead of the hood ornaments. The entire building is made of masonry, with a steel frame and metal cladding. One interesting thing to note before you visit with your car rental in New York is that the top floors are very narrow with low sloped ceilings. They were designed more for the exterior of the building and have no real functions except to hold radio and broadcasting equipment.

Are you in New York or Remulak?

Although the building was originally built for the Chrysler Corporation, today it is owned by TMW Real Estate and Tishman Speyer Properties. Today, as you will discover when you visit with your car rental in New York, this is one of New York's most loved buildings. In the summer of 2005 it was voted to be among the top 10 New York towers in Skyscraper Magazine, which asked architects, builders, critics, engineers, historians, and scholars what their favorite buildings were. The building has also inspired similar buildings around the world.

The Chrysler Building has made many appearances in popular culture over the years. On Saturday Night Live, the Coneheads used the building as a spacecraft to return to their home planet Remulak. Unfortunately, you will have to use your car rental in New York to get back to your hotel! A lot of the movies you may remember with the Chrysler Building often involve disaster. In Godzilla, half of the building is blown up during a chase through Midtown Manhattan. And in Armageddon, an asteroid hits the building, knocking the upper part of it to the street.

The Chrysler Building is a great place to visit with your car rental in New York because it is such a famous Manhattan landmark that is recognized around the world.