The Chrysler Buildings Use Of Technology And Materials Both Structurally And Aesthetically
At the turn of the 20th century, technology and mechanical engineering advanced at a rapid speed and society moved towards a machine based means of production and away from handmade goods. This development changed the way many things were made and constructed including buildings. At the same time the increase in population growth meant that land was at a premium and developers in North America looked to build upwards to accommodate this expansion. This only became possible with the invention the elevator and of steel frame construction.1 The power necessary to build such tall structures inspired competition between architects who vied to build the tallest. Amongst these was Walter P. Chrysler, one of the wealthiest men in the automotive industry, who in 1928 entered the unofficial race for the skies. For a brief while he led with the Chrysler Building before being superseded by the Empire State Building less than a year later. However, the Chrysler building did not just use steel frame construction but also revolutionised the idea of using a solid internal core within the structure. Another first was their development of Nirosta metal which they used extensively on the exterior of the building. Whilst using many new materials Chrysler also went to great lengths to gather traditional materials and combined hand crafted motifs on the Art Deco style interior and exterior brickwork not rejecting artisan roots. This is a review of how Chrysler understood and embraced the latest machine age technologies and pushed its boundaries to construct the Chrysler Building the tallest skyscraper of its time, thereby creating a symbol of the modern era.
Fig.1. The Chrysler Building in 1930
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Standing at 319.5m high the Chrysler Building houses 77 stories, including a three storey lobby with entrances on Lexington Avenue, 42nd and 43rd Street in the East Side of Manhattan, New York. The Chrysler project began with former New York State senator William H. Reynolds and William van Alen an architect originally trained in Beaux-Arts in Paris. Van Alen’s design was very ambitious with a decorative jewel like glass crown and a base with triple height windows to give the illusion of a light tower floating in
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2
Lees, Stephen, Visions Of Architecture, (London: A&C Black Publishers, 2011) p.87
Sveiven, Megan, AD Classics: Chrysler Building / William Van Alen ([n.p]: ArchDaily, 2010) < http://www.archdaily.com/98222/ad-classics-chrysler-building-william-van-alen> [accessed 15 December 2013]
mid air.3 Originally there was not the demand for the same extravagant height and was designed to be only 246m tall. This proved too costly and elaborate design for Reynolds who then went on to sell the lease and project to Walter P. Chrysler. With Chrysler’s endless supply of money, 'he wanted a landmark building that would upstage his commercial rivals,'4 using both height, materials and new technologies, which gave Van Alen free reign to build his masterpiece. The building was redesigned in the grand Art Deco style from ground floor to the domed top, and had additional floors giving a new proposed height of 282m. As Chrysler aimed to house his automobile company inside distinctive ornamentation reflecting his trade was key to his vision.
Fig.2. Van Alen's changing designs for Chrysler Building
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When ground breaking occurred in September 1928 competition to build the tallest skyscraper between the Chrysler Building and 40 Wall Street really began, on completion in 1930 the Chrysler Building had taken the trophy. Both buildings altered their designs throughout the course of construction to try and beat the other in the race for height. 40 Wall Street - now known as the Trump Building - was originally designed by H. Craig Severance at 68 stories and 265m making it 19m taller than its rival Chrysler Building.
Fig.3. 40 Wall Street pictured in 1930
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3
Thuroczy, Maria, Chrysler Building, ([n.p]: Architetuul, 2013) [accessed 15 December 2013] 4
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Lees, Stephen, Visions Of Architecture, (London: A&C Black Publishers, 2011) p.88 Modern Marvels: The Chrysler Building, dir by Bruce Nash, ( A&E Home Video, 2007) [on DVD]
However , the drawings were then changed to 71 floors and 283m remaining higher than the second proposal for its competitor. Chrysler though had a secret weapon. Being built off site was an 185ft spire extension, once delivered was erected in a staggering 90 minutes creating a final height of 319.5m/1046ft.
Fig.4. Drawing showing how the Spire was assembled in the Chrysler Building
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Without this fierce competition the Chrysler Building would have featured the original dome top not the taller spire that's seen today. Whilst gaining the title for the world's tallest building it only remained so for 11 months until surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931, although today it remains the world's tallest brick building with a steel structure.
Fig.5. Height difference between 40 Wall Street, Chrysler Building and The Empire State 6
Abramson, Daniel M, Skyscraper rivals: The AIG Building And The Architecture Of Wall Street, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2001) p. 207
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Srielstad, B.G, 'How Engineers Crowned The World's Tallest Building', Popular Science Monthly, 117.2 (1930), p.52
One of the two main advances heralded by the new technologies of the industrial revolution that enabled the option to build up extensively was the development of the Otis safety elevator in the 1850s. Previously the height of a building had been restricted to the amount of floors that one could be expected to climb - around five or six.8 with the invention of the elevator many more floors could be erected and all accessible. Lifts originally dated back to 80AD when in Roman times gladiators and animals rode in makeshift ones up to the Coliseum. In the 18th century machine power was applied to the lift when in 1743 Louis XV commissioned a lift for his palace in Versailles. Progress continued and by 1833 German miners were being lowered and raised with a system using reciprocating rods enabling access to the Harz mountains. In 1935 an English factory redeveloped it with a new belt-driven technology. As machine innovations advanced so did the elevator with revolutionary power lifting devices however the same problem remained: there was still no way to stop the hoist from plummeting if the lifting cable broke. This made elevators too risky to use in buildings. However, this all changed in 1954 when Elisha Otis gave a death defying demonstration of his new safety break feature at New York's World Fair. 9
Fig.6. Elisha Otis elevator demonstration10
This used a special mechanism to lock the elevator car in place should the hoisting ropes fail. In 1903 the gearless traction electric elevator was introduced and could be used in buildings of any height, and operated at much higher speeds. The first were installed in the Beaver Building in New York City. The Chrysler Building boasted that 'few thrills are comparable with a trip to the top of the Chrysler lobby'11 with 'the longest vertical ride of your life.'12 Van Alen assisted by L.T.M Ralston who was in charge of mechanics on the building spent a year designing the elevators, then manufactured by Otis Elevators. The building holds 32 elevators with each cab measuring 5'6" by 8" and all unique in design made from four basic patterns, with exquisite art deco interiors and door surfaces.
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Lees, Stephen, Visions Of Architecture, (London: A&C Black Publishers, 2011) p.87
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Otis Elevator Company, Otis History ([n.p]: Otis Elevator Company, 2011) [accessed 15 December 2013] 10
Otis Elevator Company, Otis History ([n.p]: Otis Elevator Company, 2011) [accessed 15 December 2013] 11 Curcio, Vincent, Chrysler: The Life And Times Of An Automotive Genius, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001) p.428 12
Curcio, Vincent, Chrysler: The Life And Times Of An Automotive Genius, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001) p.428
Fig.7. Chrysler Building entrance lobby and elevators
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Fig.8. Elevator details
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The other main advance was the building structure. Until the 1880's buildings had load bearing walls, supporting the entire weight of the building and had to be extremely thick to bear the load, usually made out of concrete or brick so were not strong enough for tall buildings. The first development towards steel frame construction including skyscrapers was in 1830 when Eaton Hodgkinson produced the section beam originally in iron.
Fig.9. Sketch of I-beam
This led towards girder fabrication, first employed in the Crystal Palace building in Hyde Park, London in 1851.15 Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace was made with a pre-fabricated skeleton of cast-iron columns supporting a network of girders with glass infill, spanning a total area of 19acres. It took seven months to construct made onsite from modular parts.
Fig.10. The Crystal Palace
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Breeze, Carla, American Art Deco: Architecture and Regionalism, (London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003) p.58
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Sveiven, Megan, AD Classics: Chrysler Building / William Van Alen ([n.p]: ArchDaily, 2010) < http://www.archdaily.com/98222/ad-classics-chrysler-building-william-van-alen> [accessed 15 December 2013] 15
Lees, Stephen, Visions Of Architecture, (London: A&C Black Publishers, 2011) p.87 Harrison, Melvyn, Histor, ([n.p] : The Crystal Palace Foundation, 2012) [accessed 15 December 2013] 16
Another advance was Sir Henry Bessemer's new process of manufacturing steel developed in the 1850's, which is an alloy of iron but provides greater strength with less weight and also has tensile properties lacking in cast iron. Engineers began experimenting with new ways of using steel and iron, which were previously used in transportation structures. Through testing William Le Baron Jenney invented the steel skeleton using vertical columns and horizontal I-beams in a rectangular grid to support the floors, walls and roof. They were made strong enough to support any stresses or forces from the weight of the floor and building contents but also absorb the force of the wind, an increasing issue with taller buildings.17
Fig.11. Forces on load bearing walls and skeleton frames
The first building to use this steel frame construction and subsequently considered the first skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago completed in 1885 by Jenney, which reached a height of 10 stories and 138ft.
Fig.12. The Home Insurance Building
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Although using structural steel in its frame, the majority was made of cast and wrought iron though some of the weight was still carried on masonry walls and the metal frame was bolted rather than riveted together, but it was a drastic advance in building construction. The Chrysler Building used hot rivets to join the steel beams together.19 The technique was first employed to join steel plates together in ship 17
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Modern Marvels: The Chrysler Building, dir by Bruce Nash, ( A&E Home Video, 2007) [on DVD] Modern Marvels: The Chrysler Building, dir by Bruce Nash, ( A&E Home Video, 2007) [on DVD]
Modern Marvels: The Chrysler Building, dir by Bruce Nash, ( A&E Home Video, 2007) [on DVD]
building but became the common joining process for steel frames. The steel rivet was heated until red hot then passed through the holes of two sections, once soft it could be shaped using a rivet gun which rounded the end and permanently fixed its position.
Fig.13. Construction of the Chrysler Building showing the steel frame
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The Chrysler building like other skyscrapers of it time used steel frame but it also added many new innovations to skyscraper engineering. While using a steel skeleton it divided it up into an inner and outer core.21 The inner core was made of concrete for its strength and to help stabilise the building from wind. Previously the method for controlling horizontal sway was just to tighten up the structure which allowed it move as one unit not a flexible skeleton. As the Chrysler building was taller than previous structures it would not suffice to stop it from swaying; a core was needed.22 The central core contained the stairs, elevators, and mechanical systems. The outer core held the offices and other frequented spaces. This system has gone on to be utilized in many buildings today and a common technique in adding rigidity to skyscrapers.
Fig.14. The Chrysler Building Plans
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20
Stravitz, David, The Chrysler Building: Creating A New York Icon Day By Day, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002) p.58 21
Modern Marvels: The Chrysler Building, dir by Bruce Nash, ( A&E Home Video, 2007) [on DVD] Cobb, Harold M, The History Of Stainless Steel, (Ohio: ASM International, 2010) p. 108 23 Stravitz, David, The Chrysler Building: Creating A New York Icon Day By Day, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002) p. 154 22
When the building broke ground in 1928 there was a building already situated on Lexington Avenue, and due to the surrounding 19th century buildings no large machine could get to the site so all work had to be done by hand. It took a month to get the site cleared, with 50,000 cubic yards of soil and rubble removed from the site. The process of digging the foundations then commenced using man power and steam shovels to break up the ground, which is the predecessor of modern backhoes used in the construction today. Whilst the work was ongoing spectators watched in awe, looking over the unprotected site.24
Fig.15. Initial construction of Chrysler Building showing spectators
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The Chrysler building is certainly unique and in 1930 it revolutionised the use of metal as an exterior cladding and was the world's first major use of stainless steel in architecture.26 The shiny Nirosta 20-7 Stainless Steel metal that adorns the gleaming spire and gargoyles had never been used before on a building or at all in America at the time, as it was made by Krupp Steel works in Germany. Previously only copper, lead and bronze could withstand weathering, but these materials weren't strong enough to be used as extensively as proposed on the Chrysler.27 Experimentation at the motor laboratories was done to determine the best metal for the purpose. Altogether there is approximately 48 tonnes of Nirosta used on the roofing, sidings, flashings, coping as well as the decorative pineapples, gargoyles and giant Chrysler radiator caps.
Fig.16. The Chrysler's Nirosta covered gargoyles
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Modern Marvels: The Chrysler Building, dir by Bruce Nash, ( A&E Home Video, 2007) [on DVD] Stravitz, David, The Chrysler Building: Creating A New York Icon Day By Day, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002) p. 12-13 26 Cobb, Harold M, The History Of Stainless Steel, (Ohio: ASM International, 2010) p. 283 25
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Dupre, Judith, Skyscrapers, (New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 1996) p. 37
Sveiven, Megan, AD Classics: Chrysler Building / William Van Alen ([n.p]: ArchDaily, 2010) < http://www.archdaily.com/98222/ad-classics-chrysler-building-william-van-alen> [accessed 15 December 2013]
Each sheet of metal was cut with an individual template, and joined together with lock or standing seams.29 The exterior trim used around the ground level exterior on the shop fronts and entrances was buffed to a high polish to reflect as much light as possible from the darkened streets of New York. The whole building darkens and brightens as light reflections occur, or as the position of the observer changes so that the entire building is constantly changing.30 The Chrysler Building is a beacon of the new age but also respectful of traditional materials and specialised skilled craftsmen. The exterior metal cladding is juxtaposed with 3,826,000 glazed bricks and 5,000 windows. All the bricks were laid by hand to create non-load bearing walls made up of middle and far eastern patterns of white, grey and black bricks. The bricks were used to enhance the horizontal rows of the windows and the only time you will see intricate automobile inspired brick patterns in a facade.
Fig.17. Brick detail on the Chrysler building
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The design also highlights the vertical lines of the building and subsequently the height. The crown is made up of seven radiating terraced arches mounted up one behind an other which also adds to this illusion. 'The use of permanently bright metal though was of greatest aid in the carrying of rising lines and the diminishing circular forms in the roof treatment, accentuating the upward swing until it literally dissolves into the sky.'32
Fig.18. The Chrysler buildings diminishing spire
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29
Cobb, Harold M, The History Of Stainless Steel, (Ohio: ASM International, 2010) p. 108 Cobb, Harold M, The History Of Stainless Steel, (Ohio: ASM International, 2010) p. 106 31 Breeze, Carla, American Art Deco: Architecture and Regionalism, (London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003) p.57 30
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Cobb, Harold M, The History Of Stainless Steel, (Ohio: ASM International, 2010) p. 106 Nash, Eric, Manhattan Skyscrapers, 1st edn, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999) p.62
The exterior is matched by just as lavish an interior, the whole experience carefully devised from the stage set entrances to the lobby. The opulent decoration is seen as the pinnacle of the art deco style and a symbol of strength and success, with marble and granite stone cladding, bronze doors and window frames and the excessive use of metal finishes. The most striking of all materials used were the rich wood inlays that were a literal representation of the automobile, from their wooden dashboards and trims. The wood is a celebration of the buildings wealth, sourced from all over the globe using Japanese Ash, English Grey Harewood, Oriental Walnut, American Walnut, Dye-Ebonised wood, Satinwood, Cuban Plum, Pudding wood and Curly Maple.34 The materials were built up in hectic layers of arching, triangles, pyramids, Egyptian and Mondrian patterns capturing the character of the jazz age.
Fig.19. Chryslers triple story lobby
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Fig.20. The grand entranceway
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Van Alen was ahead of his time, his initial plans included fluorescent lighting which wasn't added at the time as it could not be implemented.37 When the plans were discovered years later it was added into the triangular windows in the spire, giving the building the energy and shine at night that it has during the day. In 1856, Heinrich Geissler created the earliest design of the fluorescent light when he obtained a glow from a gas that was sealed in a tube. Edmund Germer in 1926 suggested that the pressure within the tube could be increased and it could be coated with fluorescent powder, converting the ultraviolet light into the white light we know today but was not brought to commercial use until 1938.
Fig.21. Chrysler Building spire lit up at night
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Nash, Eric, Manhattan Skyscrapers, 1st edn, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999) p.65 Breeze, Carla, American Art Deco: Architecture and Regionalism, (London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003) p.58 Nash, Eric, Manhattan Skyscrapers, 1st edn, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999) p.64 Curcio, Vincent, Chrysler: The Life And Times Of An Automotive Genius, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001) p.434 Hawkes, Jason, New York At Night, (London: Merrell, 2010) p.94
The remarkable beauty of the building is its symmetry, none of its parts seem 'stuck on' but are in harmony together. Van Alen brought together two very different elements: the fixed, structural power of the building and the modern, gleaming details of the automobile. Although the Chrysler Building quickly relinquished its title of the tallest building in the world it remains a powerful icon today. In a time when automobiles were still a relatively new invention and a quintessential symbol for the machine age. These details along with the other technical advances of the building and materials, become a celebration of the modern age clearly stated in the external fabric. At the same time the Chrysler Building retained traditions, materials and styles of past decades, whilst signifying the time of change in the 1920s, both in machinery but also celebrating the economic boom after the war which allowed these advances in technology. 'The enormous sense of energy and possibilities of the 1920's'39 echoes in the technological advancements and aesthetics of the Chrysler Building.
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Bate, Johnathan, 'A Life In Architecture', Arhitects Journal, 213.3 (2001), p.26
BIBLIOGRAPHY Abramson, Daniel M, Skyscraper rivals: The AIG Building And The Architecture Of Wall Street, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2001) p. 207 Bate, Johnathan, 'A Life In Architecture', Arhitects Journal, 213.3 (2001), 26 Breeze, Carla, American Art Deco: Architecture and Regionalism, (London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003) Cobb, Harold M, The History Of Stainless Steel, (Ohio: ASM International, 2010) Curcio, Vincent, Chrysler: The Life And Times Of An Automotive Genius, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001) Curtis, William J.R, Modern Architecture Since 1900, 3rd edn, (London: Phaidon Press Ltd, 1996) Dupre, Judith, Skyscrapers, (New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 1996) Griffiths, Joe, 'Wonders And Blunders', Building Magazine, 276 (2011), 22-23 Hammerburg, Eric, A Case Study Of Early Steel Curtain Wall ([n.p]: Structure Magazine, 2005) < http://www.structuremag.org/OldArchives/2005/December%202005/Chrysler-Spire-by-Eric-Hammarberg.pdf> [accessed 15 December 2013] Harrison, Melvyn, Histor, ([n.p] : The Crystal Palace Foundation, 2012) [accessed 15 December 2013] Hawkes, Jason, New York At Night, (London: Merrell, 2010) Hewitt, Gavin, ' A Life In Architecture', Architects Journal, 216.5 (2002), 18 Lees, Stephen, Visions Of Architecture, (London: A&C Black Publishers, 2011) Modern Marvels: The Chrysler Building, dir by Bruce Nash, ( A&E Home Video, 2007) [on DVD] Nash, Eric, Manhattan Skyscrapers, 1st edn, (New York: Princton Architectural Press, 1999) Otis Elevator Company, Otis History ([n.p]: Otis Elevator Company, 2011) [accessed 15 December 2013] Rayner, Claire, 'A Life in Architecture', Architects Journal, 215.14 (2002), 26 Srielstad, B.G, 'How Engineers Crowned The World's Tallest Building', Popular Science Monthly, 117.2 (1930), 52 Stravitz, David, The Chrysler Building: Creating A New York Icon Day By Day, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002) Sveiven, Megan, AD Classics: Chrysler Building / William Van Alen ([n.p]: ArchDaily, 2010) < http://www.archdaily.com/98222/ad-classics-chrysler-building-william-van-alen> [accessed 15 December 2013] Theil-Siling, Sabine, Icons Of Architecture: The 20th Century, (Munich: Prestel Verlag GmbH & Company KG, 2005) Thuroczy, Maria, Chrysler Building, ([n.p]: Architetuul, 2013) [accessed 15 December 2013]
By Daisy Denny-Higgins
