The Empire State Building
350 Fifth Ave.
Architect: Shreve, Lamb & Harmon
Year built: 1930-1931
NEW YORK—Stately, squared shouldered and heads above the rest—the Empire State Building turned 80 on Friday, May 1. The octogenarian skyscraper has its own zip code (10118) and is one of the most prominent architectural icons in the world. It has anchored the New York City skyline since 1931 and has become the picture postcard symbol of modern urban life. The storied history of the 102-floor building is as complex and fascinating as the city it has come to represent.
On the former site of the original Waldorf-Astoria hotel, construction of the Empire State Building (ESB) began on St. Patrick’s Day in March 1930, and proceeded at a blistering pace. Only 410 days later the building was opened in a ceremony that included President Herbert Hoover pushing a symbolic button in Washington, D.C., to light the building. Over 3,400 workers had a hand in the construction, including many European immigrants as well as Mohawk ironworkers. Five deaths were reported in the construction.
The design and construction, fueled and funded in large part by former General Motors head John J. Raskob, advanced quickly in order to compete for the title of world’s tallest building. Both the Chrysler Building and 40 Wall Street were gunning for the title. The Chrysler Building held the title for a few months, soon to be bested by the ESB’s peak of 1,252 feet; a world record it would hold until 1972 with the completion of the north tower of the World Trade Center. Although described as having 102 floors, the spire that was designed as a landing dock for dirigibles added the additional height above the observation deck on the 86th floor. Docking the airships proved unfeasible however due to dangerous updrafts and the dock was only used successfully one time.
Conceived of during the Roaring Twenties, the ESB had the unfortunate timing to be completed at the start of the Great Depression. The building had few tenants in its first years, which earned it the nickname “The Empty State Building.” Its main source of income in its first year was admission to the 86th floor observation deck, which brought in over $1 million.
On July 28, 1945 a B-25 bomber plane lost in fog accidentally crashed into the 79th floor killing 14 people. The crash did not do any major structural harm to the building.
The building has been featured in hundreds of films, perhaps most notably King Kong, shot in 1933, when the giant gorilla climbed to the top of the building to escape would-be captors. When the film’s leading actress Fay Wray passed away in 2004 the building stood in complete darkness for 15 minutes.
Visitors to the Empire State Building can take in the view from the observation deck 365 days a year, from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. The last elevators go up at 1:15 a.m.
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