{"id":31830,"date":"2021-11-23T17:13:46","date_gmt":"2021-11-23T17:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblogsnew.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=31830"},"modified":"2021-11-23T17:13:46","modified_gmt":"2021-11-23T17:13:46","slug":"an-introduction-to-the-chrysler-building-new-yorks-art-deco-masterpiece-by-john-malkovich-1994","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=31830","title":{"rendered":"An introduction to the Chrysler Building, New York\u2019s Art Deco masterpiece, by John Malkovich (1994)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Many people claim the Chrysler Building as their favorite New York City edifice and actor John Malkovich is one such recorded in a BBC documentary short in 1994.<\/h3>\n

image: for illustration purposes only – Peter Badcock<\/em><\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Open Culture writes:<\/p>\n

No old stuff for me, no bestial copyings of arches and columns and cornices. Me, I\u2019m new.
\n\u2014 architect William Van Alen, designer of the Chrysler Building<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Many people claim\u00a0the Chrysler Building<\/a>\u00a0as their favorite New York City edifice and actor\u00a0John Malkovich<\/a>\u00a0is one such:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s so crazy and vigorous in its execution, so breathtaking in its vision, so brilliantly eccentric.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Malkovich, who\u2019s not shy about taking potshots at the city\u2019s \u201cviolence and filth\u201d in the BBC documentary short above, rhapsodizes over Detroit industrialist\u00a0Walter P. Chrysler<\/a>\u2019s \u201clatter day pyramid in Manhattan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malkovich\u2019s unmistakable voice, pegged by\u00a0The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0as \u201cwafting, whispery, and reedy\u201d and which\u00a0he himself poo poos<\/a>\u00a0as sounding like it belongs to someone who\u2019s \u201clabored under heavy narcotics for years,\u201d pairs well with descriptions so plummy, one has to imagine he penned them himself. (No writer is credited.)<\/p>\n

After showing us the open-to-the-public lobby\u2019s \u201cdelicious Art Deco fittings,\u201d ceiling mural, and intricate, veneered elevator doors, Malkovich gives us a tour of some off-limits upper floors.<\/p>\n

Unlike the Empire State Building, which bested the Chrysler Building\u2019s brief record as the world\u2019s tallest building (1046 feet, 77 stories), you can\u2019t purchase tickets to admire the view from the top.<\/p>\n

But Malkovich has the star power to gain access to\u00a0Celestial, the seventy-first floor observatory<\/a>\u00a0that has been closed to the public since 1945 and is currently occupied by a private firm.<\/p>\n

He also has a wander around the barren\u00a0Cloud Club,<\/a>\u00a0a\u00a0supper club and speakeasy\u00a0for gentleman one percenters. Its mishmash of styles represented a concession on architect Van Alen\u2019s part. The building\u2019s exterior was an elegant modernist homage to Chrysler\u2019s hubcaps and hood ornaments, but between the 66th and 68th floor, the Cloud Club catered to the promiscuous tastes of the rich and powerful \u2014 Tudor, Olde English, Neo-Classical\u2026<\/p>\n

The New York Times\u00a0<\/em>reports that it\u00a0boasted what\u00a0<\/em>\u201cwas reputed to be the grandest men\u2019s room in all of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n

A\u00a0Duke Ellington<\/a>\u00a0soundtrack and vintage footage featuring Van Alen costumed to resemble his famous creation supply a taste of the excitement that heralded the building\u2019s 1930 opening, even if those with a fear of heights may swoon at the sight of pretty young things reclining on high beams and performing other feats of\u00a0derring-do<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Malkovich, ever the cool customer, displays his lack of vertigo by casually propping a foot on the rooftop\u2019s edge to commune with the iconic eagle-headed gargoyles.<\/p>\n

The building\u2019s unique flourishes caused a sensation, but not everyone was a fan.<\/p>\n

Malkovich clearly savors his swipe at critics who decried the new building as too shiny:<\/p>\n

Fortunately these critics are long dead so we can\u2019t even call their offices and taunt them as they should be taunted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He\u2019s more temperate when it comes to author and social philosopher\u00a0Lewis Mumford<\/a>, whose beef with the skyscraper is understandable, given the historic context \u2014 the stock market crashed the day after the secretly constructed spire was riveted into place:<\/p>\n

Such buildings show one of the real dangers of a plutocracy: it gives the masters of our civilization an unusual opportunity to exhibit their barbarous egos, with no sense of restraint or shame.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Nearly one hundred years later, barbarous egos continue to erect skyscraping temples to their own vanity, but as Malkovich points out, they\u2019re far blander, if taller.<\/p>\n

The Chrysler Building is now widely recognized as one of New York City\u2019s most magnificent jewels, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission recently approved plans to construct\u00a0a public observation deck on the Chrysler Building\u2019s 61st floor<\/a>, just above its iconic Art Deco eagles, though it\u2019s too early to tell if it will be ready in time for a centennial celebration.<\/p>\n

Until then, the general public must content itself with exploring the Chrysler Building\u2019s lobby during weekday business hours.<\/p>\n

Read more….<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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