Downtown Financial District: Chrysler House & the twin wings of the Penobscot Annex?

**night-timer** · November-11-14, 07:44 AM

Just an observation: those two buildings [[Chrysler House and the twin wings of the Penobscot Annex) look very similar to me. Any reason why?

**southen** · November-11-14, 08:02 AM

technology at the time dictated that floors be smaller for light and air flow. thats why you see many older buildings have a "U" shape to make sure there was light and flow of air throughout a floor. it wasnt until the midway point of the century that you started to see larger floors and buildings that didnt have windows that opened, this was because the technology now existed to make the environment comfortable for those working in the building.

the first national building on campus martius is another great example of this. it sort of snakes around the block in an interesting way as a result of what people could build at the time.

**night-timer** · November-11-14, 08:10 AM

Hey, thanks... you know your stuff !!!

**Scottathew** · November-11-14, 08:29 AM

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing southen!

**EastsideAl** · November-11-14, 10:34 AM

Chrysler House...? It took me a while to figure out that you were talking about the Dime Building.

Now I have to go chase those goldurned kids off my lawn again...

**dtowncitylover** · November-11-14, 10:53 AM

Stop. It's not C****** H****, it's Dime Building. It isn't an effing house and Chrysler is barely in there. I will never call it that ridiculous name.

**Gistok** · November-11-14, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

Stop. It's not C****** H****, it's Dime Building. It isn't an effing house and Chrysler is barely in there. I will never call it that ridiculous name.

Ummmmm... you're taking the word "house" too literally.... just look at one of the most famous "houses" in NYC...

https://www.google.com/search?q=Leve...w=1280&bih=923

**dtowncitylover** · November-11-14, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Ummmmm... you're taking the word "house" too literally.... just look at one of the most famous "houses" in NYC...

https://www.google.com/search?q=Leve...w=1280&bih=923

Haha perhaps, but at least people actually live there.

**Scottathew** · November-11-14, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

Stop. It's not C****** H****, it's Dime Building. It isn't an effing house and Chrysler is barely in there. I will never call it that ridiculous name.

I know how you feel. It bothers me too. It's probably how people felt about the Sears Tower or whatever it's called now.

**dtowncitylover** · November-11-14, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by 48307

I know how you feel. It bothers me too. It's probably how people felt about the Sears Tower or whatever it's called now.

Yes. Though at least they kept "Tower".

**EastsideAl** · November-11-14, 11:42 AM

More important than bringing the name back though [[after all, there hasn't been an actual Dime Bank since the 1920s) would be if someone could remove those various layers of "modern" grey stuff that have encrusted the lower floors since the '60s and return Daniel Burnham's beauty to something like its original classical appearance.