CNN
—
Though it only had the distinction of being the world’s tallest building for 11 months, the Chrysler Building in midtown Manhattan has remained one of the most recognizable skyscrapers in the world — and a glimmering architectural icon of the Art Deco period, which celebrates its centennial on April 28.
The 1920s and 1930s gave rise to buildings such as Chicago’s Tribune Tower and New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel that mixed materials and colors through the use of steel, glass, terracotta, stone and marble. This new modern style prized vertical designs that drew the eye upwards, decorative glass and metalwork with geometric and floral motifs, high-shine lacquered surfaces, and…
