History of the Chrysler Building

A New York Icon

An American Icon: The Fabulous Chrysler Building

The magnificent Chrysler building. Source

There is something both mesmerising and unique about the gleaming Chrysler building, thrusting upwards in its art deco glory - a monument to modernism, industry and early 20th century optimism. One of the great skyscrapers of New York, it still dominates the Manhattan skyline, if not in height, then in style and certainly, fame.

Designs for the building on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street were originally commissioned by a land-developer, William Reynolds, before being passed on to automobile magnate and industry-grandising visionary, Walter P Chrysler, who worked with architect William Van Alen to create one of the most significant buildings of the modern age.

Raffles Hotel: A Colonial Icon

Raffles Hotel, Singapore

Colonial Splendour
Raffles Hotel in Singapore is a world famous remnant of the colonial era. Built in 1887, the 104 suite hotel was the  vision of four Armenian brothers - Martin, Tigran, Aviet and Arshak Sarkies, who named it after Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore.

Although now multi-cultural, in the colonial era the hotel's gracious facilities were strictly for the patronage of European guests and not the local native Singaporeans. It wasn't until the 1930s that Asian guests were permitted.

Classic Motels

An icon of the 20th century...the American Motel. Source

Vintage motel postcard, Tucumcari, New Mexico

America invented the motel and with it a national cultural icon. The word 'motel' was meant to denote a motorist's hotel and they were, in large part, a response to the exponential expansion of the automobile in US society; as road trips were becoming more and more popular,  the weary travellers needed convenient places to stay.

It was an innovative form of accommodation where travellers could conveniently park their cars just outside the door to their room and it wasn't long before motel chains began to spring up everywhere, some of them richly quirky, .such as the tee-pee-shaped rooms of the Wigwam motel on Route 66, where the sign apparently wittily read: When they suggested we stay at the Wigwam motel, I had my reservations.

The 1950s House

Rose Seidler House. Image from the Historic Houses Trust

Rose Seidler House
Nestled in Wahroonga, in the suburbs of Sydney, NSW,  lies an intriguing time bubble in the form of a perfectly preserved 1950s house. Rose Seidler House is designed by noted Viennese born architect Harry Seidler -  a striking Bauhaus styled monument to a then state of the art mid 20th century home and now lovingly preserved for the public by the National Trust. Originally built for his parents, Rose and Max Seidler, who lived in the house until 1967, everything about the design screams modernity, from the large Modrian- like window panes to the low, flat roof, bright colour accents, open plan-living and box like exterior structure.

"The house is divided into two distinct zones that are linked by a flexible transitional zone of playroom, stairs and sundeck, which can be used to extend either public or private areas"~ Historic Houses Trust

The Ranch House

American Ranch Houses
The American ranch house style first appeared in the 1930s and even to some extent, the 1920s but as a design trend, really hit its stride in the late 40, 50s  and 60s post-war period. It was an architectural style that combined modernist minimalism with  elements of the American Western period to produce an open, easy and casual style of living. The style proved to be so popular with the baby boomers, it moved beyond the US into places as far afield as Australia and Europe.

In a radical move away from the traditional box-like double-storey home, ranch houses were single-storey and built low to the ground, giving them a spacious, elongated feel and eliminating the pokiness of small enclosed rooms. Separate spaces were created with room dividers rather than walls and the porch gave way to the open patio.

The Hoover Building

Image by Steve Cadman

Art Deco Building

Image by Steve Cadman

The Hoover Factory in London is one of the most iconic art deco buildings in the world, famous chiefly for its remarkable balancing act between architectural functionalism and its striking decorative features.

This is no ordinary factory as not only is the first site of the building (which is really three buildings together) an impressively striking sight in its entirety but the visitors eye is inexorably drawn to the extraordinarily imaginative and exotic detail of its parts.


Everything about this building screams art deco, from its Aztec inspired front facade, rounded towers, lines of blue and white tiles,  Egyptian pillars, stylised sunbursts and geometric shapes to it's period colour combination  of green, orange, blue and black, contrasted with a  stark white background.