tall when including its spire; it contains 56 stories. The Chanin Building's massing influenced that of other skyscrapers in New York City, including the Wall and Hanover Building, 444 Madison Avenue, and 22 East 40th Street. The design was mostly the work of Rene Paul Chambellan and Jacques Delamarre. The former specialized in architectural sculpture in numerous styles, such as the Art Deco style, while the latter led the staff of the Chanin Company. Form The Chanin Building employs a series of setbacks that end in a "vigorous, toothed" pinnacle. Because of the varying widths of the surrounding streets, three separate groups of setbacks were mandated for each elevation of the facade as per the 1916 Zoning Resolution. This led critic Matlack Price to write the Chanin Building was "design[ed] in masses rather than in facades". The Chanin Building's massing was inspired by that of Eliel Saarinen's unbuilt proposal for Chicago's Tribune Tower. Though the building is primarily designed in the Art Deco style, the massing also exhibits design characteristics of the International Style. The lowest four stories occupy the entire land lot. Along the north elevation on 42nd Street and the south elevation on 41st Street, the entirety of the facade is set back at a uniform depth. The central bays of the eastern elevation on Lexington Avenue are set back at the fifth story, while the outer bays continue upward without setting back. According to one writer, this made the Lexington Avenue elevation appear as a "giant medieval two-towered facade". The subsequent stories form a jagged "pyramid", with setbacks above the 17th, 30th, and 52nd stories. Facade The Chanin Building is clad with buff brick, limestone, and terracotta. The facade also contains bronze, marble, and custom-designed colored glass ornament. There are three entrances to the building's office stories, which are ornamented with eight plaster reliefs of personified figures against a geometric pattern. Two of the reliefs symbolize achievement and success, while the other six depict physical and mental attributes by which those objectives are attained. The base of the building bears black Belgian marble around the storefront windows, which are each made of plate glass. These storefront windows correspond to two bays on upper stories, allowing for wide displays. Directly above, a bronze frieze depicts scenes of evolution, ranging from simple organisms to more complex animals and plants. A second terracotta frieze runs the whole length of the