Trends: Taking Down the Chrysler Building

Folks working in New York City's Chrysler Building can be forgiven for feeling a little jittery this summer. After all, they've seen their untimely demise flash before their eyes three times already. So far, the landmark art deco skyscraper has been drowned by a tidal wave in Deep Impact, used as a scratching post by the giant lizard in Godzilla, and decapitated by a hail of meteorites in Armageddon. What's Hollywood's grudge? According to Armageddon director Michael Bay, the tower was targeted for its beauty. "It's the best-looking building ever made," gushes the director. What better reason to blow it off the skyline? And a spokesperson for Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich's Centropolis Entertainment says the 'Zilla filmmakers were just "trying to avoid stuff that we blew up in Independence Day" (e.g., the Empire State Building). Chrysler owners Tishman Speyer Properties and Travelers shrug off the disastrous images. "What's important is the integrity of the building and the trademark," says spokesman Steven Rubenstein, who is at a loss as to why everyone keeps wanting to stomp on the famed structure. "I guess everyone loves the Chrysler Building."