5. There Used to Be An Observation Deck at 40 Wall Street

Like many of New York City’s Art Deco skyscrapers, 40 Wall Street was built with a public observation deck in its roof, said to be on the 69th and 70th floors. The roof also contained machinery and recreational facilities. One claim to fame that did surpass the Chrysler Building was that the highest usable floor at 40 Wall Street was almost 400 feet above its rival, according to the consulting architects, Shreve & Lamb, and that it had the highest observation deck. There is a rumor that Governor Thomas E. Dewey lived below the observation deck for a period of time, even though the building was zoned only for commercial use.