Architects, designers and structural engineers first discovered
the durability of stainless steel as a building material when
automobile magnate Walter P. Chrysler commissioned the iconic
building bearing his name in midtown Manhattan. The 77-story
Chrysler Building officially opened for business in spring 1930.
"It was the first-ever large installation of stainless steel in
an architectural installation," said Catherine Houska, senior
market development manager at TMR Stainless, Pittsburgh. Houska,
who has managed the market development program of the Nickel
Institute to promote increased use of stainless steel in
architecture in North America, said the Chrysler Buildings six-
tier roof was clad in stainless steel to mimic the chrome
hubcaps and hood ornaments of 1930 Chrysler roadsters. The
architects who designed the Chrysler Building didnt expect the
stainless cladding on the skyscrapers roof to last anywhere near
as long as it did, but nature has conspired to keep it as
corrosion-free 80 years after its i