CONCEPT, PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN BY MAX SINGER
T HE C HRYS l ER Bu I l DING IS CONSIDERED A MASTERPIECE O f A RT D ECO ARCHITECT u RE . T HE DISTINCTI v E ORNAMENTATION O f THE B u I l DING IS BASED ON f EAT u RES THAT w ERE THEN BEING u SED ON C HRYS l ER A u TOMOBI l ES . T HE CORNERS O f THE 61 ST fl OOR ARE GRACED w ITH EAG l ES , REP l ICAS O f THE 1929 C HRYS l ER HOOD ORNAMENTS ; ON THE 31 ST fl OOR , THE CORNER ORNAMENTATION ARE REP l ICAS O f THE 1929 C HRYS l ER RADIATOR CAPS
T HE C HRYS l ER Bu I l DING w AS DESIGNED BY ARCHITECT wI ll IAM vAN Al EN f OR wA l TER P. C HRYS l ER . wHEN THE GRO u ND BREA k ING OCC u RRED ON S EPTEMBER 19, 1928, THERE w AS AN INTENSE COMPETITION IN N E w Y OR k C ITY TO B u I l D THE w OR l D ’ S TA ll EST S k YSCRAPER . D ESPITE A f RANTIC PACE THE B u I l DING w AS B u I l T AT AN A v ERAGE RATE O f f O u R fl OORS PER w EE k), NO w OR k ERS DIED D u RING ITS CONSTR u CTION
C ONSTR u CTION COMMENCED ON S EPTEMBER 19, 1928. I N TOTA l, 400,000 RI v ETS w ERE u SED AND APPROXIMATE l Y 3,826,000 BRIC k S w ERE MAN u A ll Y l AID . lESS THAN A YEAR A f TER IT OPENED TO THE P u B l IC ON M AY 27, 1931, THE C HRYS l ER Bu I l DING w AS S u RPASSED IN HEIGHT BY THE E MPIRE S TATE Bu I l DING , B u T THE C HRYS l ER Bu I l DING IS STI ll THE w OR l D ’ S TA ll EST STEE lS u PPORTED BRIC k B u I l DING
SHE w I ll P l AY PEE k- A - BOO w ITH YO u
I N A DE l IBERATE STRATEGY O f MYTH GENERATION , vAN Al EN OBTAINED PERMISSION f OR A 38METRE l ONG SPIRE TO BE SECRET l Y CONSTR u CTED INSIDE THE f RAME O f THE B u I l DING . THE SE v ENSTOREY PINNAC l E w AS THEN HOISTED INTO POSITION THRO u GH THE ROO f AND ANCHORED ON TOP IN ju ST ONE AND A HA lf HO u RS . All O f A S u DDEN IT w AS THERE A SENSATIONA l f AIT ACCOMP l I .
SHE ADMIRES HERSE lf IN THE MIRROR
uPON COMP l ETION , M AY 20, 1930, THE ADDED HEIGHT O f THE SPIRE A ll O w ED THE C HRYS l ER Bu I l DING TO S u RPASS 40 wA ll S TREET AS THE TA ll EST B u I l DING IN THE w OR l D AND THE E I ff E l T O w ER AS THE TA ll EST STR u CT u RE . I T w AS THE f IRST MANMADE STR u CT u RE TO STAND TA ll ER THAN 1,000 f EET (305 M ).
SHE IS S u RRO u NDED BY SYCHOPHANTS
. T HE B u I l DING IS CONSTR u CTED O f MASONRY , w ITH A STEE l f RAME , AND META l C l ADDING . I N TOTA l, THE B u I l DING C u RRENT l Y CONTAINS 3,862 w INDO w S ON ITS f ACADE AND 4 BAN k S O f 8 E l E v ATORS DESIGNED BY THE O TIS El E v ATOR C ORPORATION . T HE B u I l DING w AS DEC l ARED A N ATIONA l H ISTORIC lANDMAR k IN 1976.
SHE IS u NMISTA k EAB l E E v EN AT A DISTANCE
T HE C HRYS l ER Bu I l DING IS w E ll RENO w NED AND RECOGNI z ED f OR ITS TERRACED CRO w N . C OMPOSED O f SE v EN RADIATING TERRACED ARCHES , vAN Al EN ’ S DESIGN O f THE CRO w N IS A CR u CI f ORM GROIN v A ul T CONSTR u CTED INTO SE v EN CONCENTRIC MEMBERS w ITH TRANSITIONING SETBAC k S , MO u NTED u P ONE BEHIND EACH OTHER .
SHE STANDS O u T AMIDST A CRO w D
T HE STAIN l ESSSTEE l C l ADDING IS RIBBED AND RI v ETED IN A RADIATING S u NB u RST PATTERN w ITH MANY TRIANG ul AR v A ul TED w INDO w S , TRANSITIONING INTO SMA ll ER SEGMENTS O f THE SE v EN NARRO w SETBAC k S O f THE f ACADE O f THE TERRACED CRO w N
SHE w I ll lu R k HIDDEN IN THE BAC kGRO u ND
T HE ENTIRE CRO w N IS C l AD w ITH SI lv ERY “E ND u RO k A-2” META l, AN A u STENITIC STAIN l ESS STEE l DE v E l OPED IN G ERMANY BY kR u PP AND MAR k ETED u NDER THE TRADE NAME “N IROSTA ” ( A G ERMAN ACRONYM f OR NICHTROSTENDER S TAH l, MEANING “ NONR u STING STEE l
SHE IS THE CHI l D O f j A zz AND IND u STRY
I N THE S u MMER O f 2005, N E w Y OR k’ S O w N Sk YSCRAPER Mu SE u M AS k ED H u NDRED ARCHITECTS , B u I l DERS , CRITICS , ENGINEERS , HISTORIANS , AND SCHO l ARS , AMONG OTHERS , TO CHOOSE THEIR 10 AMONG 25 N E w Y OR k TO w ERS . T HE C HRYS l ER Bu I l DING CAME IN f IRST P l ACE AS 90% O f THEM P l ACED THE B u I l DING IN THEIR TOP -10 f A v ORITE B u I l DINGS .
BEfORE wORkING IN THE MEDIuM Of DIGITAl PHOTOGRAPHY, MAX SINGER wAS AN AwARD-wINNING CARTOONIST, IlluSTRATOR, ARTIST AND DESIGNER wHOSE wORk HAS APPEARED IN NuMEROuS NATIONAl PuBlICATIONS INCluDING ARTNEwS, THE NY TIMES AND NY MAGAzINE, TO NAME BuT A fEw. MAX wAS ASSOCIATED wITH THE wORlD-fAMOuS PuSH PIN STuDIO. HIS uNIquE, COlORful AND BOlD IlluSTRATIvE STYlE Of IMAGERY HAS BEEN EXHIBITED wIDElY BOTH IN HIS HOMEBASE Of NEw YORk CITY, IN PARTICulAR AT SuCH MuSIC AND CluB vENuES SuCH AS THE kNITTING fACTORY, AS wEll AS vARIOuS OuTSIDER AND CONTEMPORARY vENuES IN HIS SPIRITuAl HOME Of NEw ORlEANS, AND wAS fEATuRED IN THE DOCuMENTARY BlOOD BROTHERS: BRuCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND. MAX IS AN ACTIvE MEMBER Of THE NEw ORlEANS PHOTO AllIANCE. SEE MORE Of MAX’S wORk AT www.MAXSINGER.COM. ABO u T MAX SINGER
