At the beginning of the 20th century, the race for the tallest building in the world started and the Chrysler Building was the first building to top the then highest building, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. New York would keep the highest building in the world until 1974, when the Sears Tower was built in Chicago.

For Walter P. Chrysler, from the car manufacturer, building the highest building in the world was a status symbol. The Chrysler building was in a race with the Bank of Manhattan for obtaining the title of highest building in the world. It looked like the Bank of Manhattan would win the race, with an expected height of 283 meters against the around 230 meters for the Chrysler building. But the spire of the Chrysler building was constructed in secret inside the tower.

Just one week after the Bank of Manhattan had reached its top, the spire of the Chrysler building was put in place, making it 319 meters high, thus beating the Bank of Manhattan as the highest building in the world. It would not keep this title for long: one year later the Empire State Building was erected.

The Chrysler building is one of the last skyscrapers in the Art Deco style. The gargoyles depict Chrysler car ornaments and the spire is modeled on a radiator grille. It has been restored in 1995 and it glitters again like it must have in the thirties.