--- description: The building opened to the public 85 years ago, on May 27, 1930 title: New York City's Chrysler Building: Vintage Photos of Its Construction image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc14118f640bdbf1a/69885170cd684805560a0025/150515-chrysler-building-06.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [architecture](/tag/architecture/) ## architecture Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # See Majestic Photos of the Chrysler Building Under Construction  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. May 27, 2015 11:00 AM CUT  View of Midtown Manhattan looking west along 42nd Street with the Chrysler Building, 1930. View of Midtown Manhattan looking west along 42nd Street with the Chrysler Building, 1930.Frederic Lewis—Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. May 27, 2015 11:00 AM CUT Not all new skyscrapers make news. But the birth of the Chrysler Building, in 1928, immediately commanded attention, as TIME [reported](http://time.com/vault/issue/1928-10-29/page/49/ "undefined"): --- > “” --- The completed building surpassed expectations, measuring 1,046 ft. and change. “A great gesture towards a fortune built by automobiles is the Chrysler Building,” TIME [reported](http://time.com/vault/issue/1930-06-09/page/52/ "undefined") shortly after it officially opened to the public 85 years ago, on May 27, 1930\. “Oldtime Manhattanites recalled last week that 50 years ago its site was a goat pasture.” Its opening ceremony drew the presence of many of New York City’s dignitaries—including Alfred Emanuel Smith, whose corporation was at that very moment constructing the Empire State Building, which would shortly knock the Chrysler from its place of honor.  Aworker sitting on a steel girder high atop the Chrysler Building, on the 54th floor, during its construction, New York City, 1929. Museum of the City of New York/Byron Collection—Getty Images  Viewed from across the East River in 1929, midtown Manhattan is growing ever taller. The building in the center of the photograph is the Chrysler Building which, when completed, will be the tallest building in the world Underwood Archives—Getty Images  A group of construction workers assemble steel beams during the erection of the Chrysler Building, New York City, 1929. Charles Rivers/Museum of the City of New York—Getty Images  View of the tower of the Chrysler Building under construction, New York City in 1929. Edwin Levick—Hulton Archive/Getty Images  The sharp, glistening spire of the Chrysler Building stands revealed as the world's tallest building sheds its scaffolding, May 26, 1930. AP Photo  View of Midtown Manhattan looking west along 42nd Street with the Chrysler Building, 1930. Frederic Lewis—Getty Images  The lobby of the Chrysler Building (1930, William van Alen, architect) and its clock, two doors, and two Christmas trees with strings of light, New York, mid 20th Century. FPG—Getty Images  A gargoyle atop the Chrysler Building watches vigilantly over the rising Gotham towers of midtown Manhattan. AP Photo  With the Chrysler Building to his left, a steel worker rests on a girder at the 86th floor of the new Empire State Building during construction in New York City, Sept. 24, 1930. AP Photo ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3894639/photo-chrysler-building/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3894639/photo-chrysler-building/"},"headline":"See Majestic Photos of the Chrysler Building Under Construction","datePublished":"2015-05-27T11:00:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:03:21.701Z","description":"The building opened to the public 85 years ago, on May 27, 1930","url":"https://time.com/3894639/photo-chrysler-building/","keywords":["architecture","photography"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc14118f640bdbf1a/69885170cd684805560a0025/150515-chrysler-building-06.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc14118f640bdbf1a/69885170cd684805560a0025/150515-chrysler-building-06.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"View of Midtown Manhattan looking west along 42nd Street with the Chrysler Building, 1930.","caption":"View of Midtown Manhattan looking west along 42nd Street with the Chrysler Building, 1930.","creditText":"Frederic Lewis—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/architecture/","name":"architecture"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3894639/photo-chrysler-building/","name":"See Majestic Photos of the Chrysler Building Under Construction"}}]}] ```