Walter P. Chrysler, maker of the cars named after him, was determined to win the race to the top against the Bank of Manattan and have the tallest building in the city and the country. Chrysler commissioned architect William Van Alen to make it taller, and van Alen obliged, adding 120 feet to his original design and, after H. Craig Severance claimed his newly-opened 40 Wall Street was the world’s tallest building, including a secret spire and lightning rod to put the Chrysler Building over the top.

On this day, May 28, a week after its construction the Chrysler Building opened as, indeed, the taller building. Chrysler’s spire was assembled in secret indoors, and raised to the top in just 90 minutes.

The Chrysler Building held the mantle of World’s Tallest not much longer than its rival on Wall Street. Within months the Empire State Building opened at several hundred feet taller. Nevertheless, the Chrysler Building remains a shining example of Art Deco construction, with gargoyles depicting Chrysler car ornaments and a spire designed to resemble a radiator grille.