Please welcome Nancy Thornton Navarro and Adriana Thornton-Cornejo with Philip Mershon’s WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton. And as a special bonus sisters and daughters of Walter Thornton, Nancy and Adriana, have given us a special treat – the story of the Chrysler building – one of the most beautiful buildings in New York City. If I could ever get a tour I’d jump at the chance.
And now here’s their story of the Chrysler Building:
History of the Iconic Chrysler Building and The Walter Thornton Story
Nancy and I began our journey with little knowledge of our father’s extraordinary role as one of the early 20th century’s most successful entrepreneurs. It was only through our research that we discovered he had founded one of the few new nationwide businesses to emerge during the Great Depression—an accomplishment well-documented in history books. His achievements were already recognized, needing no further validation.
One of our most surprising findings was that our father was among the first tenants of the Chrysler Building, a structure that would become closely associated with the Chrysler motorcar, particularly the 1929 Chrysler Imperial 75 Roadster.
Walter Thornton selling his Chrysler Imperial 75 Roadster 1929
This vehicle was distinguished by its unique design, most notably the double-winged radiator cap, which later became a historic emblem. William Van Alen, the architect of the Chrysler Building, reimagined this design in Nirosta stainless steel for the building’s Art Deco features. These reinterpretations, along with elements like hubcaps and bumpers, adorn the 31st-floor parapet, showcasing one of the most iconic examples of Deco creativity.
The Chrysler Building, designed by Van Alen in the Art Deco style, is a monument to its namesake, automotive executive Walter Chrysler. The building features 3,862 exterior windows and approximately fifty metal ornaments that protrude from its corners on five floors, resembling gargoyles on Gothic cathedrals. The 31st-floor is adorned with replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps, while the 61st-floor features eagle ornaments, paying homage to America’s national bird.
The design extensively incorporates bright Nirosta stainless steel, an austenitic alloy developed in Germany by Krupp. This was the first use of this “18-8 stainless steel” in an American project, consisting of 18% chromium and 8% nickel. The steel was essential to Van Alen’s design, as it enhanced the building’s vertical lines and the diminishing circular forms of the roof, ultimately creating a sense of the structure dissolving into the sky.
An urban myth suggests that both the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building sat empty for years after their construction during the Great Depression. While the Empire State Building earned the nickname “Empty State Building” due to its low early occupancy, the Chrysler Building did not suffer the same fate. Despite the economic challenges, a significant portion of its offices were occupied by the Texaco Corporation, with Chrysler taking the second largest block of space. Interestingly, the building was never intended to serve as Chrysler’s main headquarters. Walter P. Chrysler, who financed the building entirely on his own, saw it as a personal project—a monument to himself. In his posthumous autobiography, Life of an American Workman, he explained that he funded the building himself so that his sons would have “something to be responsible for.”
Our research revealed that our father secured a prime office location in the Chrysler Building, obtaining a two-year lease with two months rent-free. This advantageous deal enabled him to launch his business in what was then the world’s tallest building—a true example of starting at the pinnacle. The Walter Thornton Model Agency operated from the Chrysler Building from 1930 to 1936. As children, we recognized the significance of the Chrysler Building because our father kept a framed photo of it in his office.
In September 2021, Adriana had the opportunity to tour the building, thanks to our friend Dave, who has an office on the 46th floor. Her visit allowed us to reconnect with a significant piece of our father’s remarkable legacy.
How fitting, then, that over 100 years later, a photograph of our father—apparently selling his 1929 roadster—has achieved iconic status as an avatar for the 1929 stock market crash. Besides being in numerous history books it is also the subject of countless debates on social media. And you know? There’s more to that photo, and to a similar one we later discovered, than meets the eye.
Adriana posing at the entrance of the Chrysler Building
Interior of the Chrysler Building, taken by Adriana
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Book Summary
Imagine losing a parent and discovering he had a secret life you’d never known about. You and your siblings embark on a quest to uncover what it all meant, becoming enmeshed in a series of images and anecdotes found in newspapers, magazines, books, and documents. Ultimately, you realize your parent was not just famous, but VERY famous! Walter Thornton was famous during a time when it was easy to be forgotten (1920s to the 1950s), making the discoveries about his life all the more engaging due to the involved process of uncovering them.
Through alternating perspectives presented by two sisters, the Thornton saga unfolds in a whirlwind of surprising revelations, thrilling with unexpected drama, adventure, and glamour. Just imagine beautiful models, pin-up girls, Hollywood royalty—Thornton was a true trendsetter. This book unveils the captivating story of Thornton’s rise from an orphan to a charismatic male model to a visionary who transformed advertising by founding the first-ever agency for advertising models. But hold onto your hats because there’s more! Get ready for dramatic twists, encounters with models who transformed into Hollywood legends such as Lauren Bacall, Susan Hayward, and Grace Kelly, and a hint of McCarthy-era intrigue—it’s a gripping tale worthy of the silver screen itself!
Publisher: Tile House Publishing, LLC
ASIN: B0CZF5WH15
ISBN-13: 979-8989273553
Print Length: 240 pages
Purchase a copy of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add it to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Authors
Walter Thornton’s daughters have devoted countless years to researching, writing, and archiving their father’s extensive collection of photos and documents, discovered in the attic of their childhood home. Drawing upon the invaluable insights collected from their father’s documents and aided by the assistance of numerous librarians from esteemed institutions such as the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, and others across the country, as well as historians, they have fully immersed themselves in the quest to unveil their father’s narrative.
Nancy Thornton Navarro is a former trademark and copyright attorney who has also served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Irving, Texas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Nancy currently lives near Dallas with her husband and is a proud mother of three.
Adriana Thornton-Cornejo (R) is a Programmer, 2D Artist, and CAD Drafter at Focus 360, a company serving the Home Building Industry. Adriana hopes that, with renewed public interest in her father’s life and career, she can one day open a Walter Thornton Museum. She lives near Los Angeles with her husband and their two sons.
Philip Mershon is an entertainment industry historian and storyteller who loves going down a good rabbit hole in search of the truth. He lives in Palm Springs, California.
Find them online at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMerchantofVenus
Webpage: https://themerchantofvenus.com
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Clarence_Thornton
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thorntoncornejo
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@themerchantofvenus/
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