E. 42nd Street: Chrysler and the Also-Rans

Actually, those two buildings on either side of the Chrysler Building in this view (from Third Avenue near E. 44th Street) aren’t too shabby, but certainly suffer from comparison to The Queen of Art Deco.

From this angle, it’s easy to see the series of setbacks approaching the ornamented 31st floor, another setback at the 61st floor, ornamented with stainless steel eagle gargoyles (patterned after the Chrysler hood ornament of that era,) and the transition to the crown and spire at the very top.

With all that can be said positively about the architecture of these two neighboring towers, they look an awful lot like other buildings around Manhattan and any other American city.

But you will never see another Chrysler Building.