18. The Chanin Building was once the third-tallest in New York City
The Chanin Building, a 56-story skyscraper on the border of Murray Hill and Midtown Manhattan located diagonally from the Chrysler Building, was once the third-tallest building in New York City. The Art Deco building was designed by Sloan & Robertson and constructed between 1927-1929. It incorporated the work of sculptor Rene Paul Chambellan, who also did architectural sculpture on the Daily News Building and New York Life Building. The building includes a brick and terracotta facade and incorporates numerous setbacks to give the building a particular massing rather similar to the International Style.
When it opened in 1929, it was the third-tallest building in New York City, reaching 680 feet thanks to its 31-foot spire. At the time, it was only surpassed by the Woolworth Building and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower. The lobby served as a terminal for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the building hosted tenants including Kimberly-Clark, Fairchild Aircraft, and Sterling National Bank. The building also hosted the U.S. Chess Championships, as well as Barry Goldwater’s 1964 presidential campaign New York headquarters. It hosted one of the city’s first observation decks, charging just 25 cents for admission. Its upper floors previously contained a movie theater and a radio broadcast station.
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