Chrysler Building

The Chrysler Building stands as a masterpiece of Art Deco design, but its most iconic feature was born from a desperate, high-stakes competition. In the late nineteen twenties, architect William Van Alen found himself in a fierce rivalry with his former partner, H. Craig Severance, who was busy building a skyscraper at 40 Wall Street. To ensure his tower would claim the title of the world's tallest building, Van Alen secretly assembled a massive, one hundred eighty-five-foot stainless steel spire inside the building's fire shaft. Once his rival's tower was finished, he had the spire hoisted through the top in just ninety minutes, instantly vaulting the Chrysler Building to a height of one thousand forty-six feet.