Remembering History: Walter Chrysler ordered the construction, in secret, of a 185-foot-high steel spire inside his building’s uncompleted tower. When it was raised on October 23, 1929, the 77-story Chrysler Building, at 1,046 feet tall, was the highest structure ever built—but only for 11 months, until it was superseded by the Empire State Building.

Walter Chrysler ordered the construction, in secret, of a 185-foot-high steel spire inside his building’s uncompleted tower. When it was raised on October 23, 1929, the 77-story Chrysler Building, at 1,046 feet tall, was the highest structure ever built—but only for 11 months, until it was superseded by the Empire State Building.

Walter Chrysler ordered the construction, in secret, of a 185-foot-high steel spire inside his building’s uncompleted tower. When it was raised on October 23, 1929, the 77-story Chrysler Building, at 1,046 feet tall, was the highest structure ever built—but only for 11 months, until it was superseded by the Empire State Building.