Art Deco Architecture

During the twentieth century populated cities such as New York were pressured into a new age style of architecture that could accommodate the rapid growth of the city. The Chrysler building in New York helped pave the way. During its completion in 1930 it was ranked as the world's tallest building and still contained classic and new qualities of design that helped the movement in the architectural realm.

The building was designed by William Van Allen and Walter P. Chrysler in 1928 when he was urged to push the boundaries of not only the architecture design but the overall height of the building. The key innovation of the building is its crown ornamentation. The crown came about as a solution that many other buildings posed a problem to, blocking out the sun. With many skyscrapers erecting side-by-side in a densely populated town an issue of blocking out the sun rays. The crown of the Chrysler building served as a solution by reducing its width as it increased in height. By this means, it allowed for more sun exposure at the ground level with more angles available. With the success of this characteristic, many architects followed suit and became a part of the Art Deco movement. 

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