Chanin Building
Encyclopedia
The Chanin Building is a brick and terra-cotta skyscraper
located at 122 East 42nd Street
, at the corner of Lexington Avenue, in Manhattan
. Built by Irwin S. Chanin in 1929, it is 56 stories high, reaching 197.8 metres (649 ft) excluding the spire and 207.3 metres (680.1 ft) including it. It was designed by Sloan & Robertson in the Art Deco
style, with the assistance of Chanin's own architect Jacques Delamarre, and it incorporates architectural sculpture by Rene Paul Chambellan
.
The base of the building boasts black Belgian marble
around the store fronts with a bronze frieze directly above depicting scenes of evolution. A second terra-cotta frieze runs the whole length of the lower facade, presenting a dramatic collection of angular zigzags and curvy leaves. The tower rises 22 stories and then thins into a series of setback
s, reaching a total of 56 floors. The top of the building is a series of buttresses that are illuminated from the inside at night, lighting up the recesses in the crown.
In the lobbies, eight bronze reliefs designed by Rene Paul Chambellan
perch above ornate bronze radiator grilles. The bronze ornamentation continues in the waves on the floor, mailboxes, and elevator doors extending the general Art Deco style from the outside in. When originally completed, the 50th floor had a silver-and-black high-brow movie theater. This floor and the 51st are now offices joined by a stairwell instead. Initially a dominant landmark in the midtown skyline, the building had an open air observatory on the 54th floor. Having been surpassed in height by a number of buildings, most notably the Chrysler Building
located across the street, the observatory has been long closed. The self-supporting tower atop the building is the original transmission site for WQXR-FM
from 1941 to the 1960s (when they moved to the Empire State Building
). WQXR maintains a current backup antenna next to the original tower on a smaller pole. Current tenants include the headquarters for Apple Bank for Savings
.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
located at 122 East 42nd Street
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
, at the corner of Lexington Avenue, in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Built by Irwin S. Chanin in 1929, it is 56 stories high, reaching 197.8 metres (649 ft) excluding the spire and 207.3 metres (680.1 ft) including it. It was designed by Sloan & Robertson in the Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style, with the assistance of Chanin's own architect Jacques Delamarre, and it incorporates architectural sculpture by Rene Paul Chambellan
Rene Paul Chambellan
Rene Paul Chambellan was an American sculptor, born in West Hoboken, New Jersey.Chambellan studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Académie Julian in Paris and with Solon Borglum in New York City. Chambellan specialized in architectural sculpture...
.
The base of the building boasts black Belgian marble
Belgian marble
Belgian marble is the name given to limestones extracted in Wallonia . They exhibit nice decorative patterns after polishing.Belgian marble has been exploited since Roman antiquity.Belgian marbles are mostly deep black, red or greyish...
around the store fronts with a bronze frieze directly above depicting scenes of evolution. A second terra-cotta frieze runs the whole length of the lower facade, presenting a dramatic collection of angular zigzags and curvy leaves. The tower rises 22 stories and then thins into a series of setback
Setback (architecture)
A setback, sometimes called step-back, is a step-like recession in a wall. Setbacks were initially used for structural reasons, but now are often mandated by land use codes.-History:...
s, reaching a total of 56 floors. The top of the building is a series of buttresses that are illuminated from the inside at night, lighting up the recesses in the crown.
In the lobbies, eight bronze reliefs designed by Rene Paul Chambellan
Rene Paul Chambellan
Rene Paul Chambellan was an American sculptor, born in West Hoboken, New Jersey.Chambellan studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Académie Julian in Paris and with Solon Borglum in New York City. Chambellan specialized in architectural sculpture...
perch above ornate bronze radiator grilles. The bronze ornamentation continues in the waves on the floor, mailboxes, and elevator doors extending the general Art Deco style from the outside in. When originally completed, the 50th floor had a silver-and-black high-brow movie theater. This floor and the 51st are now offices joined by a stairwell instead. Initially a dominant landmark in the midtown skyline, the building had an open air observatory on the 54th floor. Having been surpassed in height by a number of buildings, most notably the Chrysler Building
Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan in the Turtle Bay area at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Standing at , it was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State...
located across the street, the observatory has been long closed. The self-supporting tower atop the building is the original transmission site for WQXR-FM
WQXR-FM
WQXR-FM is an American classical radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, and serving the New York City metropolitan area. It is the most-listened-to classical-music station in the United States, with an average quarter-hour audience of 63,000...
from 1941 to the 1960s (when they moved to the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
). WQXR maintains a current backup antenna next to the original tower on a smaller pole. Current tenants include the headquarters for Apple Bank for Savings
Apple Bank for Savings
The Apple Bank for Savings provides private and commercial banking services to the greater New York City area. It is the 4th largest New York-based bank and has 50 branches in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx, as well as Westchester, Suffolk and Nassau counties...
.