When was the Empire State Building built? Empire State Building in New York

Empire State Building (Empire State Building) - 102-story skyscraper located in New York on the island of Manhattan. Office building. From 1931 to 1972, before the opening of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, it was one of the tallest buildings in the world. In 2001, when the World Trade Center towers collapsed, the skyscraper again became the tallest building in New York. The architecture of the building belongs to the Art Deco style.

In 1986, the Empire State Building was included in the list of US National Historic Landmarks. In 2007, the building was number one on the list of the best American architectural designs according to the American Institute of Architects. The owner and manager of the building is W&H Properties. The tower is located on Fifth Avenue between West 33rd and 34th Streets.

The Empire State Building is currently the second tallest skyscraper in the United States, second only to the Willis Tower in Chicago, and the 15th tallest in the world. The building is currently undergoing a $550 million renovation, $120 million of which is going toward transforming the building into a green, lower-energy structure.

The building was built with the money of John Rockefeller Jr. The hall is 30 meters long and 3 floors high, decorated with marble and decorated with 8 panels depicting the 7 wonders of the world and the eighth is the Empire State Building itself. The Guinness World Records hall contains a unique collection of unusual records. Taking the elevator in a minute, you can get to the observation deck on the 86th or 102nd floor. It offers stunning views of the city, especially at night, when the whole city sparkles with neon storefronts and colorful lights. And the web camera, thanks to which you will have the opportunity to take a virtual trip to the skyscraper and see Manhattan in great detail, is best used in daylight. Building lighting is something we can talk about endlessly. Each day of the week has its own color; holidays and significant dates have special color combinations. A unique spectacle.

HISTORY OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN NEW YORK

The tower got its name from the common name of the American state of New York, which is called the “imperial state.” The name of the tower can also be translated as “House of the Imperial State”, it was designed by the architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, and it was built with the money of John Rockefeller Jr.

The site where the Empire State Building now stands has been a hub for high society since 1860. At that time there were two aristocratic houses there, belonging to members of the richest Astor family. John Jacob Astor III and William Backhouse Astor Jr. built their homes nearby. William Backhouse's wife Astoria, a famous lady, ruled New York society like a queen. Then she quarreled with her nephew William Waldorf Astor. During the quarrel, he demolished his house and built the Waldorf Hotel in its place. William Backhouse Astor's wife moved to another area for this reason. Her son Jacob then demolished his mother’s house and built the Astoria Hotel. Both hotels operated in the 90s of the 19th century and were known as the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. It was the city's most luxurious hotel until 1929, when it was demolished to make way for the Empire State Building.

Excavation work on the site began on January 22, 1930, and construction of the tower itself began on March 17, St. Patrick's Day. The construction site employed 3,400 workers, mostly European emigrants, as well as several hundred Mohawk steel erectors, many of whom came to the construction site from the Kahnawake reservation near Montreal. According to official data, there were five worker deaths during construction.

The construction of the building became part of a high-rise race taking place in New York at the time. Two other projects in the race, 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building, were underway when the Empire State Building was just beginning to be built. Each of the competing projects held the title of tallest building for several months, until the Empire State Building surpassed them all. Construction took only 410 days. Approximately four and a half floors were built per week, and during the most intense period, 14 floors were erected in 10 days. The official opening took place on May 1, 1931, when US President Herbert Hoover turned on the building's lights by pressing a button in Washington. Already in next year The first use of lighting at the top of the building was to celebrate Roosevelt's victory over Hoover in the November 1932 presidential race.

At the building's dedication on May 1, 1931, Governor Smith's children cut the ribbon. When May 1, 1931 took place official opening Empire State Building, The United States of America was experiencing an era of economic depression. Therefore, not all the premises were delivered, and the building was called the “Empty State Building”. Ten years passed until all the premises were finally delivered. The building did not generate income for the owners until 1950. It was only in 1951, after being sold to Roger Stevens and his partners for $51 million (a record price paid for a single building at that time), that the building ceased to be unprofitable.

At the beginning of the building's operation, its spire was intended to be used as a mooring mast for airships. The 102nd floor was a docking platform with a gangway for boarding the airship. A special elevator running between the 86th and 102nd floors could be used to transport passengers. Registration, as planned, took place on the 86th floor. However, the idea of ​​an air terminal was considered untenable due to safety concerns (strong and unstable air currents at the top of the building made docking very difficult, and after the first attempt it became clear that this idea was utopian). Not a single zeppelin ever moored to the building. In 1952, telecommunications equipment was placed on the site of the terminal. Subsequently, the idea was nevertheless virtually realized in the film “Sky Captain and the World of the Future.”

On July 28, 1945, a US Air Force B-25 Mitchell bomber, piloted in thick fog by Lt. Col. William Smith, crashed into the north façade of the building between the 79th and 80th floors. One of the engines pierced the tower and fell onto a neighboring building, the other fell into the elevator shaft. The fire that arose as a result of the collision was extinguished within 40 minutes. 14 people died in the incident. Elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver survived a fall in an elevator from a height of 75 floors - this achievement was included in the Guinness Book of Records. Despite this incident, the building was not closed and work in most offices did not stop the next business day.

During the entire operation of the building, more than 30 suicides were committed here. The first suicide occurred immediately after construction was completed by a recently laid off worker. In 1947, a fence was erected around the observation platform, as there were 5 suicide attempts there in just three weeks. In 1979, Miss Elvita Adams decided to take her own life and jumped from the 86th floor. But strong wind threw Miss Adams onto the 85th floor, and she escaped with only a broken hip. One of the last suicides occurred on April 13, 2007, when a lawyer who was experiencing failures in his professional activities jumped from the 69th floor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ESPIER STATE BUILDING IN NEW YORK

ARCHITECTURE. The building has 102 floors and its height is 381.3 meters. Together with the television tower, built in the 50s, it reaches a total height of 443 meters. Commercial space occupies the first 85 floors of the building (257,211 m²). The remaining 16 floors are an Art Deco superstructure, with an observation deck located on the 102nd floor. The Empire State Building is the first building in the world to have more than 100 floors. The tower has 6,500 windows and 73 elevators. The building weighs 331,000 tons, is built on a two-story foundation and supported by a steel structure weighing 54,400 tons. It took ten million bricks and 700 kilometers of cable. The total area of ​​the windows is two hectares, and the area of ​​the foundation is more than 8 thousand m². The staircase has 1860 steps, where once a year a competition is held to see who can climb the fastest. The office space can accommodate 15,000 people, and the elevators can transport 10,000 people in one hour. The tower houses approximately 1,000 offices and 21,000 employees, making the Empire State Building the second most employeed building in America after the Pentagon. The total length of infrastructure pipes reaches 113 km, the length of electrical wires is 760 km. Low pressure steam heating. Limestone slabs were used for finishing.

Since the skyscraper is surrounded by various business buildings, it is not completely visible from below. It is designed in a modest but elegant Art Deco style. Unlike most modern skyscrapers, the façade of the tower is made in a classical style. Strips of stainless steel stretch upward along the gray stone façade, and the upper floors are arranged in three terraces. The hall inside is 30 meters long and three floors high. It is decorated with panels depicting the seven wonders of the world, only an eighth has been added to them: the Empire State Building itself. The Guinness World Records Hall contains information about unusual records and record holders.

LIGHTING. In 1964, a floodlighting system was installed on the tower in order to illuminate the top in colors corresponding to any events, memorable dates or holidays (St. Patrick's Day, Christmas, etc.). For example, after the eightieth anniversary and subsequent death of Frank Sinatra, the building was illuminated in blue tones, due to the singer’s nickname “Mr. Blue eyes" Following the death of actress Fay Wray on August 8, 2004, the tower's lights were turned off completely for 15 minutes.

Traditionally, in addition to regular lighting, the building is illuminated in the colors of New York sports teams on days when those teams are playing in the city (orange, blue and white for the New York Knicks, red, white and blue for New York City). Rangers, etc.). During the US Open tennis tournament, the lighting is dominated by yellow (the color of the tennis ball). In June 2002, during the celebration of the anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the illumination was purple and gold (the colors of the House of Windsor).

VIEWING PLACES . The observation decks of the Empire State Building are one of the most popular tourist destinations in New York and one of the most visited observation decks in the world. In total, they were visited by more than 110 million people. The site on the 86th floor has a viewing angle of 360 degrees. Another observation deck is open on the 102nd floor. It was closed in 1999, then reopened in 2005. The upper platform is completely closed, its area is much smaller than the area of ​​the lower platform. Due to the large number of visitors, the upper platform is closed on the busiest days. Tourists pay for visiting the observation decks at the ticket office on the 86th floor (there is a separate additional payment for visiting the 102nd floor).

ATTRACTIONS. On the second floor of the building there is an attraction that opened in 1994 for tourists. The attraction is called New York Skyride and is a simulator of air travel around the city. The duration of the attraction is 25 minutes.

From 1994 to 2002, an older version of the attraction operated in which James Doohan, Scotty from Star Trek, as an airplane pilot, humorously tried to maintain control of the plane during a storm. After the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, this attraction was closed. In the new version, the plot remained the same, but the World Trade Center towers were removed from the scenery, and Kevin Bacon became the pilot instead of Doohan. A new version pursued primarily not entertainment, but educational and informational purposes. It also included patriotic elements.

SPORT. The Empire State Building is not only the tallest building in the city, business card Manhattan and a symbol of American architecture, but also a running area. On February 5, a running competition takes place on the stairs of the Empire State Building. Well-prepared runners manage to climb the building's 1,576 steps - from the 1st to the 86th floor - in a few minutes. In 2003, Paul Craik set a record that has not yet been broken - 9 minutes 33 seconds. In addition, competitions are held among firefighters and police officers, who, unlike ordinary runners, must run in full gear.

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN PHOTOS

Empire State Building (USA) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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It’s not worth climbing higher, to the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building - the observatory located on it does not provide a proper all-round view, and the entrance ticket is much more expensive. True, on the 102nd floor of the building and its roof you can still see unique mooring masts for airships, although the skyscraper itself has never received a single aircraft. When visiting the Empire State Building, you do not need to use the services of guides, because it is absolutely pointless to comment on the beauty of the view from a bird's eye view. In addition, all the attractions are carefully marked on a special diagram located on the observation deck. It is best to go up to the Empire State Building on a weekday at about eight in the morning - at this time the influx of tourists is much lower, and you will not have to stand at the ticket office for hours.

If your physical fitness allows you and you are confident in your abilities, then you can try to take part in the annual race up the stairs to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, covering more than one and a half thousand steps along the way.

Fun facts about the Empire State Building

In the first years of its operation, the Empire State Building was considered the eighth wonder of the world. And even though today there are more ingenious structures, but special seven panels located in the building’s lobby depict the seven wonders of the world. The eighth panel, majestically completing the cycle, depicts the Empire State Building.

Empire State Building

Prices on the page are for October 2018.

Empire State Building (ESB) – main symbol New York, US National Historic Landmark and best American architectural achievement of all time.

The skyscraper received its name in honor of the American state of New York, which is often called the “Empire State”.

According to legend, when Henry Hudson sailed down the Hudson River, he was so struck by the beauty and grandeur of the area that he exclaimed: “This is a new empire!”

Empire State Building - 103-story office building located on Manhattan Island in New York, USA. The entrance to the building is located on Fifth Avenue - between West 33rd and 34th streets.

Location on Google maps, the map itself can be enlarged:

Translation into Russian

WITH in English"The Empire State Building" can be translated into Russian as " Imperial State Building"or "House of the Imperial State".

History of the skyscraper: design and construction

Looking into history, we learn that The building was designed by the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon., whose chief architect was William F. Lamb.

The design used early designs for the Reynolds Building in North Carolina and the Carew Tower in Ohio.

Tower construction started on St. Patrick's Day - March 17, 1930, and ended 1 year and 45 days later In total, the construction of the skyscraper required more than 7 million man-hours.

Above the building construction 3400 workers worked: most of them are emigrants from Europe, as well as several hundred installers who come from the Tomahawk Indian tribe, distinctive feature who had no fear of heights.

At the time of the start of construction of the ESB, the future symbols of New York - the Trump Building and the Chrysler Building - laid claim to the title of the tallest skyscraper in the shortest possible time and were already in the process of construction.

A serious struggle broke out between them, as a result of which the ESB overtook everyone: the building grew four and a half floors per week, the record is fourteen floors in ten days.

So, after 410 days, 5662 m 3 of building materials, 60 thousand tons of steel structures, 10 million bricks and 700 km of cable, The tallest building in the world at that time appeared on the Manhattan skyline.

Opening of the Empire State Building

Solemn The opening of the building took place on May 1, 1931: The state governor cut the ribbon and President Herbert Hoover lit the tower's floodlights using a switch in Washington.

For your information! At that time, the Great Depression was in full swing in the United States, and not everyone could afford to rent space in a skyscraper, and therefore the building for a long time empty: offices occupied approximately 20% of the total area. The tower was completely rented out only after a whole decade.

Height and other technical characteristics of the building

At the time of the official opening of the skyscraper its height was 381 m, and after the construction of a television tower on the roof of a skyscraper in 1952, height reached 443.2 m. After which the top of the tower began to be used for the location of equipment.

How many floors?

The building has 103 floors: commercial premises occupy the first 85 floors buildings, their total area is more than 257 thousand m².

The remaining 16 floors are a superstructure in the Art Deco style, which is a combination of modernism and neoclassicism.

There are observation platforms on the 86th and 102nd floors of the skyscraper.

The width of the tower at the base is about 140 m: the building occupies about one hectare of land. In total, the building has 6,500 windows, 1,860 steps and 73 elevators, which are capable of transporting up to 10 thousand people per hour.

Observation platforms

Main observation deck

The highest observation deck operates on the 86th floor of the skyscraper under open air in NYC. Dozens of movie scenes were filmed here and millions of unforgettable moments were experienced.

For reference! The site is located around the spire of the building, presenting visitors with a panorama of New York and its environs. It offers breathtaking views of Central Park, the Hudson River, the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty and much more.

You can also use observation binoculars with multiple magnification and view objects in great detail.

Upper observation deck

Sixteen floors higher - on the 102nd floor of the building - there is another observation deck, significantly smaller in area than the main one, and also completely closed.

Lighting

The tradition of ceremonial lighting of the tower in different colors in honor of major events, holidays and celebrations are preserved for many decades.

Previously, the top 30 floors were illuminated by 200 floodlights: on Independence Day, the building turned white, red and blue, and on St. Patrick's Day, green.

For achievement this effect The filters on the spotlights were changed manually: the process took several hours.

In 2012, dramatic changes took place in the tower's illumination system: A dynamic LED lighting system was installed. If previously the change in architectural lighting occurred within 10 colors, today New Yorkers see a palette of 16 million shades.

The new illumination system allows you to control the light remotely, adjust its direction and create various effects.

No holiday in New York is complete without a light show on the tower, which is often synchronized with the musical accompaniment.

Interior: what's inside?

Building interior – one of the few recognized as a landmark Committee for the Preservation of the Architectural Heritage of New York. In 2009, 18 months were spent restoring the aesthetics of the original 1930 interior design (recall that the entire building took only 13 months to construct).

Inside there is a thirty-meter-high hall that stretches over three floors. It is decorated with panels of the Seven Wonders of the World, and on the wall above the reception desk in the lobby is one of the most famous in New York - an image of the building itself, emitting light.

Useful information for tourists

The skyscraper is open all year round from 8 am to 2 am, and a huge number of people visit it every day.

The least number of visitors occurs at 8 am and 3 pm, as well as late in the evening.

To avoid wasting time in line in front of the cash register, you can purchase a ticket on the official website. This ticket is valid for a year, meaning you can schedule a visit at any convenient time. However, you still have to stand in line (security check, elevator). Only visitors with VIP tickets can skip these lines.

Prices. The cost of visiting the open observation deck on the 86th floor is from $37 for an adult and from $31 for a child. VIP tickets are $65 for everyone. A visit to the upper observation deck on the 102nd floor is paid separately (plus $20 for all ticket categories).

The New York Pass allows you to visit more than 90 Big Apple attractions, including the Empire State Building, with a single ticket.

The cost of such a ticket depends on its validity period - from one to ten days: from $124 to $420 for an adult and from $94 to $279 for a child.

Exhibition "Sustainability"

On the second floor of the skyscraper there is an exhibition “Sustainability”. The building is currently being renovated: about $120 million is being spent to reduce energy consumption.

The Sustainability exhibition showcases the latest technologies and processes and tells the story of the building's renovation through digital displays, sculptures and real building materials.

Exhibition "Don't be afraid to dream"

On the 80th floor there is an exhibition “Dare to Dream”. The History of the Empire State Building - The Story of the American Dream: An exhibit that chronicles the building's history, design, and construction. It includes original documents: photographs, architectural sketches, construction notes and daily accounting documents.

Get more detailed information about the building, its place and role in modern world thanks to the interactive multimedia tour, which is included in the ticket price. To do this, you need to download the corresponding application from the AppStore or Google Play, which can be done on site using the free wireless Internet.

In addition, in our VKontakte group you can find more photos in good quality, in a separate album dedicated to the skyscraper.

The building was designed by the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon. The creators of the skyscraper designed it in the Art Deco style. Unlike most modern skyscrapers, the facade of the tower is made in a classical style. The only decorative element of the gray stone facade is vertical strips of stainless steel. The hall inside is 30 meters long and three floors high. It is decorated with panels depicting the seven wonders of the world, and an eighth is added to them - the Empire State Building itself.

The skyscraper was built in a record 410 days, on average 4.5 floors were built per week, and sometimes in 10 days the new building grew by 14 floors. 5,662 cubic meters of limestone and granite were used for the construction of the external walls. In total, the builders used 60 thousand tons of steel structures, 10 million bricks and 700 km of cable. The building has 6,500 windows. Its design is such that the main load is borne by the steel frame, not the walls. It transfers this load directly to the powerful “two-story” foundation. Thanks to the innovation, the weight of the building was significantly reduced and amounted to 365 thousand tons.

By the time construction was completed, the height of the building was 381 m (after the television tower was erected on the roof of the Empire State Building in 1952, its height reached 443 m).

On May 1, 1931, the official opening of the skyscraper took place. The Empire State Building was opened by the then president of the country, Herbert Hoover: with the flick of a switch from Washington, he lit the lights of the tallest man-made structure in the world at that time.

The Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world for more than 40 years. The skyscraper lost this title only after the construction of the “twin” towers of the World Trade Center in 1972. The tragic death of the “twin” towers during the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, returned the Empire State Building to the status of the tallest building in New York, although the skyscraper could no longer lay claim to world leadership.

The Empire State Building occupies about one hectare of land on Manhattan Island, at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 34th Street. The building houses the offices of 640 companies employing about 50 thousand people.

The skyscraper is a landmark of Manhattan and New York. Thousands of tourists visit the famous skyscraper every day. In one minute, using a high-speed elevator, they can go up to the observation deck located on the 86th floor and see the panorama of New York: its streets, squares, parks, bridges and even ships at sea. On the 102nd floor there is a glass-enclosed circular observatory. From a height of 381 m, a panorama of five states opens up.

A landmark of New York is considered not only the skyscraper itself, but also its unique lighting system. The tradition of lighting up the Empire State Building in different colors on various holidays has existed for a long time. So, on US Independence Day, the skyscraper turns blue-red-white, and on St. Patrick's Day - green, on Columbus Day - green-white-red. To do this, plastic disks are changed on 200 floodlights illuminating the 30 upper floors.

Even before a television and radio tower was placed on the roof of the skyscraper, it was planned that the upper part of the Empire State Building would serve not only for the festive lighting of the city. The architects designed the roof structure in such a way that it would serve as a pier for passenger airships, which in the 30s. of the last century were a fashionable vehicle and successfully competed with passenger aircraft that were not yet very reliable. The 102nd floor was a berthing platform with a gangway for boarding the airship. A special elevator running between the 86th and 102nd floors could be used to transport passengers whose check-in had to be done on the 86th floor. In reality, not a single airship has ever docked on top of the Empire State Building. The idea of ​​an air terminal turned out to be unsafe - strong and unstable air currents at the top of the 381-meter building made docking very difficult. And soon airships basically ceased to be used as a means of transport.

On the second floor of the building there is an attraction, opened in 1994 for tourists. The attraction is called New York Skyride and is a simulator of air travel over the city. The duration of the attraction is 25 minutes. From 1994 to 2001, an older version of the attraction operated, featuring actor James Doohan, Scotty from Star Trek, as an airplane pilot, humorously trying to maintain control of the plane during a storm. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, this attraction was closed. In the new version, the plot remained the same, but the World Trade Center towers were removed from the scenery, and actor Kevin Bacon became the pilot instead of Doohan. The new version pursued, first of all, educational and informational purposes rather than entertainment. It also included patriotic elements.

In terms of the number of films the Empire State Building has been featured in, the building rivals top movie stars. It all started with King Kong, filmed in 1933, where the final battle of a huge gorilla with American Air Force fighters took place on the roof of this skyscraper. Now the list of films in which the Empire State Building appears, given on the official website of the skyscraper, includes 91 films.

Among other things, the Empire State Building is also the site of some of the most unusual competitions. Every year in early February, skyscraper staircase running competitions are held here. Athletes climb 1,576 steps of the building - from the 1st to the 86th floor - in a few minutes. In 2003, Paul Craik set a record that has not yet been broken - 9 minutes 33 seconds.

Over its almost 80-year history, the Empire State Building has experienced a significant number of different incidents. On July 28, 1945, a USAF B-25 Mitchell bomber, lost in dense fog, crashed into the building between the 79th and 80th floors. One of the engines pierced the skyscraper and fell onto the roof of a neighboring building, the other fell into the elevator shaft. The fire that resulted from the collision was extinguished within 40 minutes. 14 people died in the incident. Elevator Betty Lou Oliver survived a fall from 75 floors in an elevator, an achievement included in the Guinness Book of World Records.

There were fires after that too. So, in August 1988, a fire started on the 86th floor, and the fire reached the very top of the skyscraper. Fortunately, there were no casualties then. In 1990, there was another fire that claimed the lives of 38 people.

There were also incidents of a different kind. In February 1997, 69-year-old Palestinian Ali Hassan Abu Kamal climbed to the observation deck, pulled out a pistol and opened fire on tourists. He killed one person, wounded six, and then shot himself. When the site reopened two days later, visitors were already being probed with magnetometers.

Since its construction, the Empire State Building has attracted people who want to commit suicide. Over the entire period of operation of the building, more than 30 suicides were committed here. The first suicide occurred immediately after construction was completed by a recently laid off worker. As a result, in 1947, a fence had to be erected around the observation site, since in just three weeks there were five suicide attempts there. At the same time, funny things happened: in 1979, Miss Elvita Adams decided to take her own life and jumped from the 86th floor. But a strong wind threw her to the 85th floor, and she escaped with only a broken hip.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

The Empire State Building is one of the most famous buildings in the world. Its authors, the architectural agency Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, were the first in history to decide to create a building project with more than a hundred floors. Opened in Mahattan in 1931, built in less than a year and a half, it was rightly considered the “eighth wonder of the world,” which was reflected in the painting of its hall. But in the 70s, the construction of the World Trade Center deprived it of the palm among the tallest buildings, and the growth in the number of skyscrapers not only in the USA, but also in other countries made the aura of uniqueness fade.

As a result, the new stage of development that began in the life of the Empire State Building at the end of the 20th century identified it as a participant in the race, no longer technological or construction, but tourist. The owners of the skyscraper, leaving it a huge office building that employs over 20 thousand people, also focus on its attractiveness for tourists. In particular, the unique gold painting of the ceiling in the lobby in the spirit of the 30s has been restored, both observation platforms (86th and 102nd floors) have been equipped so that they have a 360° view, a visitor center has been opened with a separate entrance from 34th Street, and is open. a museum that inscribes the history of the Empire State Building into the history of New York. These and other changes mean that a visit to the Empire State Building today is not only about looking at the Big Apple from a height of 373 meters, it is also about touching the living history of one of the most famous metropolises in the world, developing before your eyes.

Height of the Empire State Building in New York

There is anecdotal evidence that investors in the Empire State Building project did not negotiate the number of floors with the architect, asking him to design the building as tall as possible. Architect William Lamb started with 50 floors, but ended up with 103 floors.

The height of the Empire State Building from base to roof is 381 meters, taking into account the antenna installed on the roof - 443.2 meters. As of 2020, this is the second largest building in New York, the third in the USA, and the 51st in the world.

From the moment it was put into operation until 1970, this skyscraper in Manhattan remained unsurpassed in height not only in the States, but throughout the entire planet. A competitor appeared a dozen blocks to the south - in December 1970, the north tower of the World Trade Center was completed. Taking into account the antenna, the new building reached a record height of 530 meters.

In subsequent years, skyscrapers from other countries moved the Empire State Building to more distant positions on world lists. So by the time the Twin Towers were destroyed in 2001, he had returned to the leader position only in the New York rankings. But in 2012, the building was in second place, since the Freedom Tower, 417 meters high (on the roof), was erected on the site of the World Trade Center.

Construction of the Empire State Building

The developers of the Empire State Building project created it in just 2 weeks. The efficiency is explained by the fact that they used developments from other orders. On the site of the future skyscraper stood one of the hotels of the Astoria chain; it was to be demolished. Work began in 1929. John Raskob, one of the businessmen who financed the construction of the skyscraper, hoped to attract investment and begin construction of a new building that same year, but in October the New York Stock Exchange collapsed, and a crisis began.

Neither Raskob nor another curator of the project, Alfred Smith, lost money, but people who planned to invest in the project went bankrupt. Despite the loss of a source of funds, and the threat of low demand for offices in the future skyscraper due to the obvious crisis, Raskob and Smith chose to take out a loan rather than abandon the project altogether.

Construction of the Empire State Building began on January 22, 1930, at the height of the Great Depression.

In the winter months, the demolition of the hotel was completed, and at the same time a hole was being dug for a giant foundation. The construction of the first load-bearing structures began on March 17. The pace of construction from the first stage was impressive. The first 14 floors were erected in 10 days, and subsequently they built approximately 4 floors per week.

By November, 75 floors had been built, with steel structures up to the 95th floor. From this time on, simultaneous interior finishing of the finished levels began. The installation of 66 elevators, each with a lifting speed of 366 m/min, also began. About 3,500 workers worked on the construction of the building. The Empire State Building was commissioned on May 1, 1931, just 405 days after construction began.

Skyscraper observation decks

The building has 2 observation decks: on the 86th and 102nd floors. To get to them, you need to purchase a ticket. It is separate for each site. Tourists can access the Empire State Building through the Visitor's Center, which has an entrance on 34th Street. Tickets are sold in vending machines with a simple interface. If difficulties arise, you can contact one of the employees present in the room for help.

The machines have partially solved the problem of queuing at the ticket counters, but be prepared to spend some time waiting at the exit to the site. To avoid this, tourists visiting the Empire State Building are advised to arrive when the site opens at 8:00 or after 22:00. There are not many people at this time. In addition, at the beginning of the day you can watch the city wake up, and in the late evening enjoy the ocean of lights of the Big Apple.

The observation deck of the 86th floor is located at an altitude of approximately 340 meters, the 102nd floor - at a level of 371 meters. Both have a full all-round view, and are decorated on the ceiling and floor with projections of nearby buildings, which can be seen if you approach the panoramic glazing. It offers views of both the Statue of Liberty and Central Park. To better understand the details of the view that opens, you should download the free Observatory Experience application from the official website of the skyscraper. Also at the sites you will find powerful binoculars that will allow you to see the details of the panorama.

What else to see

The Empire State Building is famous not only for its observation decks, but also for its architecture, restored lobby interiors, a small museum where you can take a photo in King Kong's huge paw, and also for its unique lighting. Getting to know these details will make your experience of visiting the skyscraper brighter.

Lobby

Since 2009, visitors to the Empire State Building lobby can see the same ceiling that appeared above the heads of the first visitors to the skyscraper in 1931. The large fresco, created using aluminum and gold, was covered with a false ceiling in the mid-20th century and decided to be restored only fifty years later.

The Art Deco mural depicts a sky full of planets and stars, which at the same time represent an assembly line of gears. This is how designers of the last century expressed respect for the era of discoveries and technical progress. Also noteworthy is the wall behind the visitor registration desk in the lobby, which depicts the skyscraper itself and the rays emanating from its top.

It took a team of restorers 18 months to completely restore the frescoes, as well as the authentic lamps in the spirit of the 1930s, despite the fact that the entire building was built in only 13 months.

Museum and gift shop

On the 2nd floor there is a museum that tells not only about the history of the skyscraper and New York, but also about the place of the Empire State Building in popular culture. Here you can see photos of Manhattan streets in the 1920s, find out what ancient Otis elevators were like and how they worked, and also get acquainted with films, cartoons, comics, videos and other pop culture products that show the Empire State Building.

Among these films is the film “King Kong”, shot in 1933, as well as its remake, released in the “zero”. The museum even has a corner that consists of an image of King Kong looking through a window and models of his fingers breaking through the wall. Brave souls can take a photo with them!

Next to the museum there is a gift shop where you can buy magnets, dishes and other items depicting the Empire State Building. They also sell clothes with images of a skyscraper.

Ladder

Another remarkable object is the staircase, consisting of 1860 steps. Every year on February 5th, a speed climbing competition is held there. At the same time, the distance is limited to 1576 steps - participants finish on the 86th floor. New York firefighters and rescue workers also train on the stairs of the Empire State Building. Tourists can only access the stairs on competition days while participating in the race. The rest of the time it is closed to visitors; only high-speed elevators are used for ascent.

Backlight

The skyscraper's exterior lighting system also makes it one of the most remarkable buildings in New York. Spotlights are located on the upper tiers. They have been operating every day since 1964, with each day of the week corresponding to a different color.

On holidays and in honor of memorable dates, a unique range of shades is chosen. For example, on the days of games of New York teams, the building takes on the color of their official colors, on the day of the celebration of the anniversary of Elizabeth II. In 2002, it became purple and gold (the official colors of the Windsor family), and when gay pride parades are held, the facade is painted in all the colors of the rainbow. The official website of the skyscraper even has a schedule of lighting gammas.

How to get to the Empire State Building in New York

If you're staying at a hotel in Manhattan or are close to a skyscraper, check out the walking map located on the building's website. If you plan to get to the Empire State Building by public transport, then use the subway or bus.

Metro. The 34 Street - Herald Square station is a 5-minute walk from the building. It is served by trains B, D, F and M (Sixth Avenue Line), N, Q, R, W (Broadway Line).

Bus. Opposite the skyscraper on West 34th Street is the W 34 St & 5 Av bus stop. It is reached by routes such as M34-SBS, M34A-SBS, QM10, QM12, QM15, QM16, QM17, QM18, QM24.

To order a taxi ride, use mobile applications Uber, Via, Gett, Arro, Waave or others.

Panoramic view of Manhattan from the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building:

What is the view from the Empire State Building: video