Chrysler Building
Developed by auto tycoon Walter Chrysler, who had the building decorated with hubcaps and hood ornaments. At the beginning of the 20th century, the race for the tallest building in the world started and the Chrysler Building was the first building to top the then highest building, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. New York would keepthe highest building in the world until 1974, when the Sears Tower was built in Chicago. For Walter P. Chrysler, from the car manufacturer, building the highest building in the world was a status symbol. The Chrysler building was in a race with the Bank of Manhattan for obtaining the title of highest building in the world. It looked like the Bank of Manhattan would win the race, with an expected height of 283 meters against the around 230 meters for the Chrysler building. But the spire of the Chrysler buil
ding was constructed in secret inside the tower.
Just one week after the Bank of Manhattan had reached its top, the spire of the Chrysler building was put in place, making it 319 meters high, thus beating the Bank of Manhattan as the highest building in the world. It would not keep this title for long: one year later the Empire State Building was erected.
The Chrysler building is one of the last skyscrapers in the Art Deco style. The gargoyles depict Chrysler car ornaments and the spire is modeled on a radiator grille. It has been restored in 1995 and it glitters again like it must have in the thirties.
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Rockefeller Center
The Rockefeller Center, known as the 'city in the city' is an exceptional example of civic planning. All buildings share a common design style, Art Deco, and are connected to each other via an underground concourse, the Catacombs. The complex is nevertheless well integrated in the City, especially along Fifth Avenue. In 1959 and the early seventies, the Rockefeller Center was extended with 5 additional buildings along sixth Avenue. Rockefeller Center is the perfect spot for upscale shopping, dining and entertainment. Located at West 48th through West 51st Streets, between 5th and 6th Avenues, in Midtown Manhattan, this ""city
Potsdamer Platz is an important square and traffic intersection in central Berlin, Germany. It is named after the nearby city of Potsdam.
In the 1920s and '30s, it was one of the busiest traffic centers in all of Europe. Most of the buildings were destroyed by the heavy bombardment of Berlin during World War II. When the city was divided into East Berlin and West Berlin after the war, the square was cut in half, and after 1963, the Berlin Wall ran right through it, which caused the area to become totally desolate.
After the downfall of the Berlin Wall in 1989,
Flatiron Building
Not well known among those not from the area, or not into historic architecture, the Flatiron Building is a favorite of New Yorkers and admirers around the world. Perhaps because it symbolizes so much of how New Yorkers see themselves -- Defiant, bold, sophisticated, and interesting. With just enough embedded grime and soot to highlight its details. The Flatiron's most interesting feature is its shape -- a slender hull plowing up the streets of commerce as the bow off a great ocean liner plows through the waves of its domain.
At the moment His Eminence the Chancellor is based in the former Council of State building with his retinue and is controlling the destiny of German politics. Everybody's looking forward to the day when the new Federal Chancellor's Office at Spreebogen in Tiergarten will be ready. The government officials are well-versed in packing and unpackin -they got plenty of practice last year with the move from Bonn to Berlin. Unfortunately the interior of the building is not open to the public.
Connection: U+S Alexanderplatz
Address: Schloßplatz 1
Tel: 030 40002116
Madison Square
Madison Square is located in the Flatiron district, is one of the most important squares in New York City. The attractive 19th century Madison Square Park is surrounded by historic landmarks from the Gilded Age, including the famous Flatiron building and the classical Metlife tower. Madison Square Garden and its Theater can accommodate upwards of 20,000 people and is home to such teams as the New York Rangers, the New York Knicks, and the New York Liberty. It's been host to: shows such as the Emmy & VH1 awards shows; great performers ranging from Bruce Springsteen, Billy
