The Chrysler Building Opens Its Doors

On May 27, 1930, the Chrysler Building formally opened at the corner of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, timed to a meeting of the 42nd Street Property Owners and Merchants Association. Walter Chrysler had bankrolled the tower himself, out of his own pocket, as a monument for his children rather than a project of the Chrysler Corporation. William Van Alen designed it, and construction had raced from a January 1929 groundbreaking to a topping out that October, when workers hoisted a hidden stainless steel spire through the roof in under two hours to steal the title of world's tallest building from a rival tower going up downtown. Former Governor Al Smith showed up for the opening, and a bronze plaque went up in the lobby thanking Chrysler for his civic generosity.