In the late 1920s, Severance and Van Alen found themselves engaged in designing buildings that were heralded in the press to become the tallest buildings in the world: Severance, the Manhattan Trust Building 40 Wall Street and Van Alen, the Chrysler Building.
During the late 1920s, Severance and Van Alen undertook projects to construct buildings that were heralded as the world's tallest structures by media reports: Severance created the Manhattan Trust Building at 40 Wall Street and Van Alen designed the Chrysler Building.