The Chrysler Building: Creating a New York Icon, Day by Day

The Chrysler Building: Creating a New York Icon, Day by Day
Average customer rating:

THE New York Skyscraper

A Loving Restoration

Fascinating--but who is the author?

The glory of Van Alen's frivolity

For the Chrysler Building lover in all of us.

The Chrysler Building: Creating a New York Icon, Day by Day
David Stravitz
Manufacturer: Princeton Architectural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Building Types & Styles | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | History & Periods | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
New York | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark

Art Deco New York

New York, Empire City: 1920-1945

Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City

The Mythic City: Photographs of New York by Samuel H. Gottscho

ASIN: 1568983549

Book Description

The Chrysler Building is surely the jewel in the crown of New York City's skyline. Completed in 1930, the 77-story Art Deco skyscraper--the tallest in the world at the time it was finished--quickly became the symbol of big city glamour, excitement, and style. Its cloud-piercing spire and gleaming, steel-clad ornament depicting gargoyles, hubcaps, and the winged helmets of Mercury came to represent the thrill of the Machine Age at its most exuberant.

But, until now, this magnificent building has also been one of the least documented and studied, a simple result of the fact that there were no known archives relating to its design or construction. This material was lost in the decades following its completion, or so everyone believed, until author David Stravitz discovered a box of negatives on the floor of a defunct stock photo company, just days before they were to be shipped off for silver reclamation. The never-before-seen photographs, reproduced as sumptuous duotones in this oversize book, illustrate the day-by-day construction of this American icon.

The photographs were taken by professional photo companies hired to document the construction of the building. In so doing, they also captured the day-to-day life taking place on the streets and in the environs of the Chrysler Building in exquisite detail.

This book beautifully illustrates the history of one of the most important buildings in New York as it emerged from street level to spire.

Customer Reviews:

THE New York Skyscraper.......2005-05-02

This is a wonderful book with amazing vintage black and white period photos. The book mostly focuses on the building of the skyscraper in the 30's and my only qualm with the book is the lack of current photos of the building, but that is a minor critisism and should not reflect on the overall excellent quality of the book. The Chrysler Building is a pinnacle of Art Deco style and I love it. The history of the building is so interesting and story of the spire is such a quenticential New York moment. I recomend this book to anyone who loves the romance of the skyscraper and this one is magical.

A Loving Restoration.......2005-04-20

This book is very expensive, but very worth it.

As described, the author discovered, almost by accident, a real treasure trove of exquisitely high quality photographs taken to document the building's completion to architectural specification. Rounding out a wonderfully detailed description of the economic and entrepreneurial forces behind its construction, these beautiful pictures bring the reader back into not just a major building project but a whole era. See the clothes, the cars - everything that made this a pinnacle of American exuberance and optimism.

While the text is good, you might want to look at two other better examples of stories of the buildings that symbolized this era: John Tauranac's book on the Empire State building and "Great Fortune," Daniel Okrent's rendering of "The Epic of Rockefeller Center."

They were hard times, to be sure, but often remembered with special fondness for those things which symbolized what we aspired.

Fascinating--but who is the author?.......2005-03-12

The photos are undeniably great. All that is missing is the Cloud Club. But I'm still trying to figure out who David Stravitz is. Certainly not the author. Not one of the photographs is his. By his own admission he stumbled across this work. The firm actually responsible, Peyser & Patzig does merit a few mentions but not on the cover or the title page. Of course none of this detracts from the photos but as a photographer himself, Mr. Stravitz might be a little sensitive about taking credit for the work of others. Even Christopher Gray, who contributes a lot more than Mr. Stravitz gets low billing.

The glory of Van Alen's frivolity.......2003-10-06

Author David Stravitz wisely bought over five hundred, soon to be destroyed, negatives in 1979. They pictured New York in the 1920s and 30s and in particular one hundred and fifty showed the day by day construction of the Chrysler Building. Over a hundred of them are reproduced in this stunning book. Taken by commercial photographers Peyser & Patzig, most likely as a record for the contractor Fred Ley, they show the building as a hole in the ground on November nine 1929 to the completion of the annex in January nine 1931.

There is something about pre-war photos, perhaps the chemicals used on glass plates or the type of paper used for the black and white prints but whatever, old photos seem to have a richness of texture that enhances their appearance and you certainly notice this in these pictures. As well as their quality (don't forget this was straightforward commercial photo assignment) there is plenty to see of the building construction, what is going on in the surrounding streets and several panoramas of mid-town Manhattan taken from the Chrysler Building, including a dramatic four-page gatefold.

This is the sort of detail you'll see, pages eight and nine show the empty building site (taken on November nine) and traffic on three sides, turn the page to see a photo (November seventeen) showing dozens of male spectators looking down on the building site, now full of working construction equipment, traffic and a newsstand has appeared on a corner, by December one this newsstand has become a hut and incorporated into the fencing that now runs round the site. After the exterior, the cameraman went inside to capture the lovely deco detailing.

In the back of the book there are thumbnails and captions for the photos. Page 154 has five floor plans (I was rather disappointed that there were not more diagrams showing the exterior decorative work) and you realise that the building is not oblong, the non-street end has a chamfered side. Just one of the many insights that you'll get from this fascinating photo study of one of the world's great landmarks.

For the Chrysler Building lover in all of us........2003-07-01

This is it.
This is the one you want, if you have a love for the Chrysler building's construction, her insides and outsides.
Beautiful photos - all black and white, in a beautifully presented book. It creates a brilliant record of the construction of one of the most loved buildings in the world.
Highly recommended.

Reinforced Concrete Masonry Construction Inspector's Handbook

Average customer rating:

Reinforced Concrete Masonry Construction Inspector's Handbook
James E. Amrhein , and John Chrysler
Manufacturer: Masonry Institute of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Buildings & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0940116375

Average customer rating:

1997 Masonry Codes and Specifications
John Chrysler , and Thomas Escobar
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Masonry | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Engineering | Reference | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0849375487

Book Description

The Masonry Institute of America believes that the best way to extend and improve the use of masonry is through education and dissemination of information. Following a long tradition of such ideals, the 1997 Masonry Codes and Specifications is a ready reference that furnishes, in one document, the various code requirements for masonry from the Uniform Building Code and Standards, the California State Building Code, and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standards that govern the specification of quality and testing of materials. The book includes Guide Specifications for masonry construction set forth in the CSI format with notes to the specifier.

Average customer rating:

BUILD YOUR OWN CHRYSLER BUILDING
Rose ALAN
Manufacturer: Periigee
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LBAE8Q

Build Your Own Chrysler Building So Easy Even an Adult Can Do It

Average customer rating:

Build Your Own Chrysler Building So Easy Even an Adult Can Do It
Alan Rose
Manufacturer: Perigee Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000PKXXEA

Product Description

A classic building, in a build you own folio. 1st Pinting!!!

Average customer rating:

Chrysler Building

Manufacturer: Gerald & Marc Hoberman Collection
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Stationery

Blank Books | Journals | Accessories | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1919734651

Chrysler Capital's new headquarters helps keep staff productive and fit. (Chrysler Capital Corp.): An article from: Fairfield County Business Journal

Average customer rating:

Chrysler Capital's new headquarters helps keep staff productive and fit. (Chrysler Capital Corp.): An article from: Fairfield County Business Journal
Joan Stableford
Manufacturer: Westfair Communications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Fairfield County Business Journal, published by Westfair Communications, Inc. on July 2, 1990. The length of the article is 547 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Chrysler Capital's new headquarters helps keep staff productive and fit. (Chrysler Capital Corp.)
Author: Joan Stableford
Publication: Fairfield County Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 2, 1990
Publisher: Westfair Communications, Inc.
Volume: v21 Issue: n24 Page: p1(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Chrysler in Indiana.: An article from: Indiana Business Magazine

Average customer rating:

Chrysler in Indiana.: An article from: Indiana Business Magazine
Bill Beck
Manufacturer: Curtis Magazine Group, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Industry | Automotive | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Indiana Business Magazine, published by Curtis Magazine Group, Inc. on June 1, 1998. The length of the article is 444 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Chrysler in Indiana.
Author: Bill Beck
Publication: Indiana Business Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 1998
Publisher: Curtis Magazine Group, Inc.
Volume: v42 Issue: n6 Page: p63(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Detroit's bumpy ride: America's 'Big Three' carmakers are in trouble. But as GM, Ford, and Chrysler close factories and cut jobs, foreign carmakers--building ... An article from: New York Times Upfront

Average customer rating:

Detroit's bumpy ride: America's 'Big Three' carmakers are in trouble. But as GM, Ford, and Chrysler close factories and cut jobs, foreign carmakers--building ... An article from: New York Times Upfront
Micheline Maynard
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Industry | Automotive | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New York Times Upfront, published by Thomson Gale on April 16, 2007. The length of the article is 2438 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Detroit's bumpy ride: America's 'Big Three' carmakers are in trouble. But as GM, Ford, and Chrysler close factories and cut jobs, foreign carmakers--building their U.S. plants far from Detroit--are flourishing.(NATIONAL)
Author: Micheline Maynard
Publication: New York Times Upfront (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 16, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 139 Issue: 13 Page: 16(7)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Euros call Chrysler home.(European American Business Organization renews lease at Chrysler Building)(Brief Article): An article from: Real Estate Weekly

Average customer rating:

Euros call Chrysler home.(European American Business Organization renews lease at Chrysler Building)(Brief Article): An article from: Real Estate Weekly

Manufacturer: Hagedorn Publication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Real Estate Weekly, published by Hagedorn Publication on March 23, 2005. The length of the article is 331 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Euros call Chrysler home.(European American Business Organization renews lease at Chrysler Building)(Brief Article)
Publication: Real Estate Weekly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 23, 2005
Publisher: Hagedorn Publication
Volume: 51 Issue: 32 Page: 20(1)

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thompson Gale

Book Description

Folk painting is rich with quaint, picturesque scenery, from rolling hills and rural farmland to old-fashioned barns, churches and country stores. This beautiful guide captures the warm, simplistic style that typifies folk art painting, featuring 10 charming decorative painting projects. Designed to adorn everything from boxes and floor cloths to picnic baskets, each project comes with an easy-to-trace pattern, detailed instructions and step-by-step photos. Painters will find a range of delightful subjects for every season, including scenes illustrating Christmas, weddings, Halloween, Independence Day and more. And there are also tips for embellishing each scene with little decorative elements that celebrate the seasons.

Darkroom To Digital: Black and White Photography With Photoshop - the Art of Transition
Average customer rating:
Darkroom To Digital: Black and White Photography With Photoshop - the Art of Transition
Eddie Ephraums
Manufacturer: Argentum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adobe Photoshop | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000N7A3D4

The Book of Elementals, Vol. 3: The City in Stone
Average customer rating:
The Book of Elementals, Vol. 3: The City in Stone
Phyllis Eisenstein
Manufacturer: Meisha Merlin Pub (P)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Eisenstein, Phyllis | ( E ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Book of Elementals, Vol. 1 and 2

ASIN: 1592220118

Book Description

The age of the Great Sorcerers past long ago. Now, they exist only as beings of myth and legend. Only the older elementals remember what the world was like when power and magic flowed freely. Three young apprentices use magic and elemental lore to discover where these mighty sorcerers lived. As they begin to excavate, strange things start to happen. Can Cray Ormuru stop them before the City in Stone reveals its dark secrets?

Book Description

Hillary Clinton is perhaps the most famous woman in the world. But despite her immense public presence, she is a carefully guarded, controversial figure. Still, when she ran for a Senate seat in New Yorka state shed never even lived inshe won by an incredible twelve percentage points. The counterpart to The Boys on the Bus by Timothy Crouse, The Girls in the Van is a fun and informative reporters diary of the daily spin, innuendo, polling, travel, and insanity that occurred on the campaign trail.

Customer Reviews:

It's a diary, not a fan letter..........2004-10-23

I was asked to review this book by a local reading group interested in Women in Politics. I read it, and quite frankly, I got it. Ms. Harpaz, in journalistic fashion, wrote about her journey and her experiences on this campaign trail. That the author had quite a bit of work/life balance issues, and wrote about them in this book, is really the gist of the book and speaks to the core of the Senator's values. Whether Ms. Harpaz intended it or not, the working wife/mother "thing" is something that so many of us women share, but really can't say that we have in common with Senatory Hilary Rodham-Clinton. If you are a big fan of Hilary Clinton and are looking for all you can read, positive, on the current Senator from New York, then this book is not for you. It's far more balanced than that. If you're an open-minded working mother (whether working in or out of the home) and are interested in reading a non-biased, experience based book about Senator Clinton and how her values and ideals fit with yours (or don't), then this book is definitely for you. That Senator Clinton could be a Presidential candidate in 2008, or considered for a seat on the Supreme Court, should be of vast interest to you as a working mother and/or wife.

I didn't think the book was so negative at all, but it did spotlight a the character of the Senator. For those who hated the book, I recommend you read it without personal bias.

I Wish She Wouldve Missed It.......2004-01-12

What was I thinking reading this book? I basically just wanted a humorous and light recount of the race. Do I really care about New York politics, not really, what I am interested in is the detail of Hilary Clinton and her race. What was it like for a First Lady to run for the Senate? What I got was a book that was 1/3 complaining about long work hours, 1/3 complaining about the basics of a campaign and 1/3 complaining about Hilary. This author has every right to write a book as negative as she has about the candidate, but to be fair, I just did not get the level of dislike for Mrs. Clinton from the dust jacket as I did while reading the book. If the dust jacket would have been honist, I never would have bought the book.

To be honist with you I only completed 2/3 of the book, it got to be so repetitious with the whining and complaining that I had to put it down. I do not know if the author thought it was humorous or if this was just a 300 page diatribe about how this author disliked Hilary. If the purpose of the book was to talk about the author's dislike of Hilary then why did she cover just the minor issues she did? Lets be fair, whether they are fair or not, there are a number of bigger issues one could dredge up ... It just came off as petty. Overall I would not suggest spending the time on this book.

Girl On The Van.......2003-12-27

This is a book that, although written in a entertaining manner, concentrates on one single issue. Beth Harpaz's. And, as it turns out, she has an issue with one thing in particular--Hillary Clinton. One wonders how she survived so much time on Hillary's campaign--not because of the long hours, not because of the time it took away from her children--but because she seems to despise the Clinton's so much. What I thought was going to be an account of Hillary's run for senate ended up being a useless account of one reporter's problems. Do not buy this book if you want to learn more about Hillary's campaign, although talked about in parts, it is hard to separate from the reporter's whining regarding her balance of work and kids (which, I admit is valid, even while it's not related to what I believe the novel intended to be about), her problem with Hillary's limited access (she has secret service agents following her around 24/7 for god's sake!) and the repetition of Hillary's speeches (which of course she's heard before, but are new to their inteneded audiences.) It seems if Beth Harpaz has such a problem with being a journalist, maybe she shouldn't be one. But if she wants to write a book about Hillary's campaign, then let it be about Hillary's campaign, not a thinly veiled account of how much she dislikes her occupation. We learn nothing new about Hillary, nothing new about any other members of the press--however we do get to learn that Harpaz's kids are potty-trained, like to play ball in the middle of the street, and that they sometimes stay later at Day Care than the other children.

This bus is a bust.......2003-01-29

Having witnessed and to a very small degree participated in Hillary Clinton's 2000 senate campaign from my perch in Buffalo, I have been looking for a good chronicle and analysis of the experience. After reading both HILLARY'S TURN and THE GIRLS IN THE VAN, I am still looking. THE GIRLS IN THE VAN is breezy and interesting, but it leaves far too much out (especially most of the upstate campaign). Harpaz's book is as much or more about her experience as a reporter than the campaign itself. It wouldn't have taken much effort to turn the book into an argument about...something, but it isn't that either. Consequently, there was surprising little sense of progression for a campaign book - I wasn't looking forward to the next chapter as much as I would have liked to have been.

Campaigns lend themselves well to stories because the author doesn't need to think much about the beginning, middle and end - those are all unmistakable as the course of events unfolds. The best campaign book I've read recently was the little known, RUNNING WITH THE MACHINE, by Dan Lynch. That seemed to be about something, this one didn't. HILLARY'S TURN captures the spirit of the campaign better, but still misses much of the upstate detail. Perhaps the problem has to do with downstate reporters simply pulling together their notes rather than researching the campaign beyond what they witnessed. That may have been what happened here. There remains a really good book waiting to be written about this campaign.

The Whiner in the Van.......2002-11-23

Poor Beth Harpaz! Hillary didn't act like a "real" New York candidate! She wasn't available 24/7 like Al D'amato. She didn't get all chummy with the press like Chuck Schumer. And she CERTAINLY didn't give them access to her daughter like Rick Lazio. And the worst part? She didn't give them anything more than canned events to cover! By the end of the campaign, they could repeat most of her speechs along with her! In fact, she generated so little "real" news that all Ms. Harpaz can do is whine. About the lack of availability, the uncomfortable accomadations (or lack thereof), the fact that she missed spending a few nights with her own kids because she was forced to stand around hoping (usually in vain) that Hillary would talk to her.

I couldn't even finish this book! (and I assure you, I've waded through quite a bit of garbage!) Harpaz seems to despise everything about Clinton. She mocks everything from her message to her accent. And as far as working long hours, isn't that what reporters who cover campaigns do?

Do yourself a favor, if you want to find out about the Clinton campaign, go look up old NY Times articles. Don't waste your time on this book.

THE GIRLS IN THE VAN: COVERING HILLARY.(Review): An article from: Columbia Journalism Review
Average customer rating:
THE GIRLS IN THE VAN: COVERING HILLARY.(Review): An article from: Columbia Journalism Review
Andie Tucher
Manufacturer: Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0009FEA34
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Columbia Journalism Review, published by Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism on September 1, 2001. The length of the article is 1769 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: THE GIRLS IN THE VAN: COVERING HILLARY.(Review)
Author: Andie Tucher
Publication: Columbia Journalism Review (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2001
Publisher: Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism
Volume: 40 Issue: 3 Page: 74

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

The Girls in the Van: Covering Hillary
Beth J. Harpaz
Manufacturer: Thomas Dunne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTGP1K

Customer Reviews:

54-Year-Old Historian Cycles Around the World.......2002-11-18

This was an inspirational book, written by a historian. I enjoyed the book.
However, I was disappointed with the book in one way. The author speaks mainly as a historian, taking the reader on a historical tour of all of the places she visted on her bike. Even by the end of the book, we know very little about the author herself, or her personal feelings. There are several very poor, black-and-white photos of places she visited, but there is not even one photo of her! I would have preferred one photo of her, with her bicycle, anywhere, than all of the other photos she included in the book. I would also have liked her to share more of her personal life with the reader, which she seems to have purposely avoided (In the chapter where she travels through the American Midwest, she comments that Americans seem to discuss their personal problems even with strangers, but indicates that she feels that is an oddity. I found that an interesting comment on American culture, and probably very true, when compared with other cultures, especially the British culture.)

This one issue aside, I found the book inspiring, for a woman of her age, and poor physical condition (at the outset) to have cycled around the world. I read with great interest her descriptions of the people's behavior (both toward her and toward each other) in various places. I was quite surprised by her descriptions of Pakistanis, Indians, and various Americans (as an American myself). I was both surprised and not surprised by her travels across America--it being the hardest place because of the vast, empty distances (particularly in the West).

Disappointingly, the author shared only a few minor details of her life. I am quite a history buff myself, but this book rather overdosed on history. Nevertheless, I did pick up a few interesting historical tidbits. For example, I found it quite interesting that her cycling through Italy was far easier than many other places (in spite of the mountains) because the Romans constructed their roads in such a way as to try to never give up height before reaching the highest point. Therefore, the route gradually climbed, whereas in newer areas (such as America), modern roads repeatedly climb and fall, making it much harder on a cyclist.

A 54 year old Headmistress bikes around the world........1998-11-20

Feeling 50 and old? Stuck in your ways with life a bit monotonous? Read this and feel the freedom of following the trail of Alexander the Great. Ride on the Royal Road through Turkey staying at local Inns and stopping for coffee. A fascinating book!

A Bike Ride: 12,000 Miles Around the World

Average customer rating:

A Bike Ride: 12,000 Miles Around the World

Manufacturer: Virgin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000BT7SAA

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books