2. There were a couple of apartments hidden inside
LIFE photographer Margaret Bourke-White, well-known for her images of skyscrapers in the 1920s and 1930s, lived in an apartment on the 61st floor. It was on this floor that Bourke-White herself was photographed atop one of the gargoyles in 1934. The apartment’s lease was co-signed by Time, Inc. because the building would not rent the apartment to a woman despite her wealth and fame. She paid $387.92 per month to live there.
According to The New York Times, Bourke-White hired “her good friend, John Vassos, an industrial designer, to create an Art Moderne stylish interior, with extensive built-ins, subdued palette, woods, and metals. There was a main sitting area, an alcove for her desk, and stairs that went out to the terrace.” Walter P. Chrysler owned another private apartment on the top floor. From there, he was said to boast that he had the highest toilet in Manhattan.