tell "whether the Chanins were builders or [...] theater-owners who had taken up building as a sideline." The warehouse itself was difficult to clear, since its walls had been designed to protect against "burglary, fire and assault". The process entailed clearing away 7,500 truck loads of brick, 1,000 of scrap metal, and 3,500 of loose earth. The official plans for the Chanin Building were filed with the New York City Department of Buildings in June 1927, at which point 60 percent of the warehouse had been demolished. Sloan & Robertson, architects of the nearby Graybar Building, Pershing Square Building, and 110 East 42nd Street, were hired to design the Chanin Building. Once the foundation had been laid, the first steel columns were installed in January 1928, with Irwin S. Chanin driving in the first rivet. The steel frame weighed an estimated and was held together by 1.5 million rivets and 160,000 bolts. Crowds frequently stopped to observe the construction process. The erection of the frame was not without problems: in one incident, the boom of a construction derrick fell from the 20th floor, nearly splitting a truck in half, though no one was injured or killed. The steelwork was completed by that June, and as was tradition at the time, two gold rivets for the Chanin Building were driven into the frame on July 2 to mark this event. The building held its topping out ceremony in August 1928. Usage The structure was declared complete on January 23, 1929, exactly one year after the first rivet had been driven into the building. It opened January 29 at an estimated cost of $12-14 million, with an informal opening attended by mayor Jimmy Walker. The Chanin Building thus became the first major skyscraper in Terminal City, and the third-tallest building in New York City behind the Woolworth Building and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower. The Chanin Building had more floors than the Woolworth, despite being shorter. Though the Chanin Building was later surpassed in height by other buildings, including the adjacent Chrysler Building that opened a year later, Irwin Chanin was instead focused on attracting tenants with an "efficient, up-to-date" facility. Upon opening, the Chanin Building was almost fully rented. The builders projected that by September 1, 1929, the building would be 70 percent rented, though the actual occupancy rate at that date was 92%. Furthermore, in 1930, The New York