180: “A Race to the Sky”: The Rise of New York City’s Chrysler, Manhattan Company, and Empire State Buildings

History That Doesn't Suck

ProfGregJackson

Education, History, Society & Culture

4.5 • 5.1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“If this is to be a skyscraper… why not make it scrape the sky.” This is the story of the race for the tallest building in New York City—in the world. Erstwhile partners-turned-bitter rivals, architects William Van Alen and Craig Severance are both looking to build the tallest skyscraper in New York City. William is working with automobile titan Walter Chrysler to build his Chrysler Building; Craig is working with George Ohrstrom, a.k.a., the “Boy Wonder” of Wall Street”, to build the Manhattan Company Building at 40 Wall Street. It’s a battle of engineering, wits, zoning, and egos, as each alters their plans with money being no object in the fight to construct the taller (and tallest) skyscraper in the world. But as these two rival teams duke it out, the city’s beloved Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on 5th Avenue is going under. Something new is rising there—something that just might prove a late entry and dark horse winner in this race with… a mooring mast for airships at the top? Yes—the proposed Empire State Building is threatening to blow this race out of the water and change New York City’s skyline forever. ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. HTDS is part of Audacy media network. Interested in advertising on the History That Doesn't Suck? Contact Audacyinc.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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0:46.3	It's just past 11 on a hazy mild morning, Friday, May 1st, 1931.
0:56.6	We're in a crowd of thousands that's choking off 5th Avenue between 33rd and 34th Street in New York City, all staring in awe at an unbelievable skyscray. Let's take it in. The ground floor's black granite contrasts striking me
1:03.7	with its large windows and aluminum doors, two revolving and one set of doubles, in a beautiful
1:09.4	attention-grabbing sort of way.
1:11.7	Our eyes are then drawn over a thousand feet upward as they drink in an immense,
1:16.8	window-checkered, cream-colored tower of Indiana limestone.
1:20.5	Unable to crane our necks any higher, we bring our gaze back down to the first five floors,
1:25.9	that is, to the building's base.
1:28.1	It has sleek geometric etchings, and in the center are three multi-story windows
1:33.0	flanked by two engaged columns, each of which is topped by a stately concrete eagle.
1:39.0	Between these magnificently sculpted birds, you see an engraving in golden capital letters. It reads, Empire State.
1:47.0	Yes, this is the Empire State Building, a work of art deco genius and the new tallest building in the world.
1:55.0	Today is its grand opening. A well-dressed man, accompanied by two small children, steps in front of the
2:01.7	building's double doors. His former New York governor and defeated Democratic presidential
2:06.3	candidate, Al Smith. He grins and wades, hat and hand to the crowd. While Al is hardly the only
2:13.2	man behind this project, he's the one running the corporation that's made the Empire State
	...

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