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 towers of the World Trade Center 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 listed as a National Historic Landmark in the United States. In 2007, the building was ranked number one on the American Institute of Architects' list of America's Best Architecture. The building is owned and operated by 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, behind only 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 towards converting the building into a greener, lower energy structure.
The building was built with the money of John Rockefeller Jr. The hall is 30 meters long and 3 floors high, finished with marble and decorated with 8 panels depicting 7 wonders of the world and the eighth is the Empire State Building itself. The Guinness 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. From here you have a stunning view of the city, especially at night, when the whole city sparkles with neon shop windows and colorful lights. A webcam, thanks to which you will have the opportunity to make a virtual trip to the skyscraper and see Manhattan in great detail, is best used in daylight. Illumination of the building is something that you can talk about endlessly. Each day of the week has its own color, holidays and significant dates have special color combinations. A unique spectacle.
CONSTRUCTION HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN NEW YORK |
The tower got its name from the everyday name of the US 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 Shreve, Lam and Harmon, and it was built with the money of John D. Rockefeller Jr.
The site where the Empire State Building now stands has been a center of high society since 1860. Then there were two aristocratic houses that belonged to members of the wealthy Astor family. John Jacob Astor III and William Backhouse Astor, Jr. built their houses side by side. William Backhouse's wife Astoria, a famous lady, ruled New York society like a queen. Then she quarreled with her nephew William Waldorf Astor. In the course of the quarrel, he demolished his house and built the Waldorf Hotel in its place. William Backhouse's wife Astor moved to another area for this reason. Her son Jacob then broke down his mother's house and built the Astoria Hotel. Both hotels functioned in the 90s of the XIX century and were known as the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. It was the city's most sophisticated hotel until 1929, when it was demolished to make way for the Empire State Building.
Earthwork on the site began on January 22, 1930, and the construction of the tower itself began on March 17 - St. Patrick's Day. The construction site employed 3,400 workers, mostly European immigrants, as well as several hundred Mohawk steelworkers, many of whom came to the site from the Kahnawake reservation near Montreal. According to official figures, five deaths among workers were recorded during construction.
The construction of the building became part of the high altitude race taking place in New York at the time. The other two projects in this 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. The construction took only 410 days. Approximately four and a half floors were built in a week, and in the most intensive 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. The very next year, the first use of lighting on top of the building was in celebration of Roosevelt's victory over Hoover in the presidential race in November 1932.
At the opening of the building on May 1, 1931, Governor Smith's children cut the ribbon. When the Empire State Building officially opened on May 1, 1931, the United States of America was in an era of economic depression. Therefore, far from all the premises were handed over, and the building was called the Empty State Building. It took ten years until all the premises were finally commissioned. The building did not generate income for the owners until 1950. Only in 1951, after the sale to Roger Stevens and his partners for $ 51 million (the record price for those times paid for a single structure), the building ceased to be unprofitable.
At the beginning of the operation of the building, its spire was intended to be used as a mooring mast for airships. The 102nd floor was a docking platform with a gangway for climbing onto the airship. A special elevator running between the 86th and 102nd floors could be used to transport passengers. Registration, as planned, was carried out on the 86th floor. However, the idea of an air terminal was deemed untenable due to safety reasons (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 landed on the building. In 1952, telecommunications equipment was placed on the site of the terminal. Subsequently, the idea was nevertheless virtually implemented in the film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
On July 28, 1945, a US Air Force B-25 "Mitchell" bomber, piloted in thick fog by Lieutenant Colonel William Smith, crashed into the north facade of the building between the 79th and 80th floors. One of the engines broke through the tower and fell on a neighboring building, the other fell into the elevator shaft. The fire that arose as a result of the collision was extinguished after 40 minutes. 14 people died in the incident. Elevator Betty Lou Oliver survived a fall in an elevator from a height of 75 floors - this achievement was included in the Guinness Book. Despite this incident, the building was not closed, and work in most offices did not stop the next business day.
Over the entire period of operation of the building, more than 30 suicides were committed here. The first suicide occurred just after the construction was completed by a recently fired worker. In 1947, a fence was erected around the observation site, as in just three weeks there were 5 suicide attempts here. In 1979, Miss Elvita Adams decided to take her own life and jumped from the 86th floor. But a strong wind threw Miss Adams to the 85th floor, and she escaped with only a broken hip. One of the latest suicides occurred on April 13, 2007, when a lawyer who was failing in his professional activities jumped from the 69th floor.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ESPIRER STATE BUILDING IN NEW YORK |
ARCHITECTURE. The building has 102 floors, its height is 381.3 meters. Together with the TV tower built in the 1950s, 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 on the 102nd floor. The Empire State Building is the first building in the world to have over 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 is supported by a steel structure weighing 54,400 tons. Ten million bricks and 700 kilometers of cable went into it. The total area of the windows is two hectares, and the area of the foundation is more than 8,000 m². The staircase has 1860 steps, where once a year a competition for the fastest climb is held. Office space can accommodate 15,000 people, and elevators can carry 10,000 people in one hour. The tower has about 1,000 offices and 21,000 employees, making the Empire State Building America's second-most-employed building after the Pentagon. The total length of infrastructure pipes reaches 113 km, the length of electrical wires - 760 km. Heating steam low pressure. Limestone slabs were used for decoration.
Since the skyscraper is surrounded by various business buildings, it is not fully visible from below. It is made in a modest but elegant Art Deco style. Unlike most modern skyscrapers, the facade 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 ledges. The hall inside has a length of 30 meters and a height of three floors. It is decorated with panels depicting the seven wonders of the world, only an eighth is added to them: the Empire State Building itself. The Guinness Hall of Records contains information about unusual records and record holders.
LIGHTING. In 1964, a floodlight system was installed on the tower in order to illuminate the top in a color scheme corresponding to any events, memorable dates or holidays (St. Patrick's Day, Christmas, etc.). For example, after Frank Sinatra's 80th birthday and the 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 Faye Wray on August 8, 2004, the tower's lights were completely turned off for 15 minutes.
Traditionally, in addition to the usual lighting, the building is lit in the colors of the New York sports teams on the days when these teams play in the city (orange, blue and white for the New York Knicks, red, white and blue for the New York Rangers, etc.). During the US Open tennis tournament, the illumination is dominated by yellow (the color of a 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 backlight was purple-gold (the colors of the House of Windsor).
VIEWING POINTS . The observation decks of the Empire State Building are one of the most popular tourist destinations in New York City and one of the most visited observation decks in the world. In total, they were visited by more than 110 million people. The platform on the 86th floor has a 360-degree viewing angle. Another observation deck is open on the 102nd floor. It 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 box 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, opened in 1994 for tourists. The attraction is called the 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 old version of the attraction ran in which James Doohan, Scotty of Star Trek, as the plane's pilot, humorously tried to maintain control of the plane during a storm. After the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, this attraction was closed. In the new version, the plot remained the same, but the towers of the World Trade Center were removed from the scenery, and Kevin Bacon became the pilot instead of Doohan. The new version pursued primarily not entertaining, but educational and informational goals. It also included patriotic elements.
SPORT. The Empire State Building is not only the tallest building in the city, a landmark of Manhattan and a symbol of American architecture, but also a jogging ground. On February 5, running competitions are held on the stairs of the Empire State Building. Well-trained runners manage to overcome the 1576 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. In addition, competitions are held among firefighters and policemen, who, unlike ordinary runners, must run with full gear.
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN PHOTOS |
The Empire State Building, which for a long time was the tallest building in the world, repeats its own image on the central panel of a huge (30 meters long) and high (three floors) lobby.
In this seemingly "holy" image, the Empire State Building, painted in gold paint, is surrounded by a halo of divine radiance and medallions illustrating the achievements of mankind on the path to progress.
- An object:
- Location: New York, USA
- Project: Shreve, Lamb and Harmon
- Height: 381 m
- Materials: steel, brick, aluminum and limestone
- Year of construction: 1931
- STYLE: art deco
- The onset of an economic depression cut the projected cost of construction in half
The "center of the universe" and the eighth wonder of the world, the Empire State Building is frankly proud of having once held the world height record. He took it from him in 1931 and owned it until 1972, when the construction of the World Trade Center marked the beginning of a new era.
John Jacob Raskob was tormented by envy. The founder of General Motors simply could not live knowing that his rival, Walter Chrysler, had recently built the tallest building in the world. But Raskob had his own ideas. He went to William Lamb, one of the partners in the architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon, and shared with him his dream of a skyscraper that would outshine the Chrysler building. Raskob asked a very simple and at the same time intimidating question: “How tall can you make it without it falling over?”
Soon the old Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Fifth Avenue near 34th Street was demolished to make way for the Empire State Building.
It was named so thanks to George Washington: when he sailed along the Hudson River, he noticed that this place would be "symbolic for the new empire."
After the destruction of the Twin Towers, the Empire State Building reluctantly returned to its role as the main symbol of New York and America. Its easily recognizable image is built on the foundation of statistics that operate with unprecedented figures: 10 million bricks, a total weight of 365,000 tons, 59,800 tons of steel beams, 687 km of electrical wires and 2 million square meters of windows, which are constantly washed by a special team.
bold plan
Only two criteria were stated: that the building should look like a pencil, and that it be taller than anything on Earth. Not surprisingly, the size and weight of the project threatened danger. Its location was considered commercially "not very profitable." No prospective tenant has turned up yet. And the stock market began to fall, and then the whole country was in the face of the Great Depression.
With such an unstable foundation, the building needed another, stronger one. 210 concrete and steel columns were driven into the granite base of Manhattan Island. This platform, only two stories deep, had to support a tower 102 stories high (380 meters) and weighing about 365 tons.
An architect once said, "Of what we do in peacetime, building skyscrapers is the closest thing to war." For this battle, an army of workers and craftsmen was assembled, 3,000 of them working on the construction site at any time of the day. High-rise fitters were considered heroes among them, many of them
They were Indians from the Mohawk and Iroquois tribes, because Native Americans are known for their fearlessness. These brave guys worked 13-hour days for just $1.92 an hour, hung at insane heights, and riveted over 50,000 heavy steel beams, each weighing a ton—enough to build a railroad between New York and Baltimore. The remarkably smooth beams, with an error of no more than 3 mm, were installed and fastened together in just eight hours after they were produced at the Pittsburgh plant.
Despite the fact that the project was changed 16 times during the development and design process, it was built 45 days ahead of the deadline, and another 5 million remained from the budget. An amazing $41 million skyscraper rose above the city in record time (less than 14 months), and so far no one has built such buildings faster. Nowhere does the building deviate more than 6 mm from the center, it has 10 million bricks and 2 hectares of windows. The sophisticated art deco style is emphasized by graceful, gradually converging walls, or "ledges", which are officially recognized in New York City building codes.
Architectural features of the Empire State Building:
- The architectural power of this building lies in its volume distribution. A series of buildings rises from the five-story base, gradually turning into a central structure that extends like a telescope to a height of 86 floors. Tapering, the structure continues to rise until it passes into the antenna.
- The movie King Kong (1933) used symbolic images of the Empire State Building as scenery. Against the backdrop of the tower and antenna of the building, which was already planned to be used as a pier for airships, an allegorical struggle was unfolding between the creation of Nature and artificial civilization.
- Across the skyscraper's façade are endlessly repeating rows of modular windows, grouped horizontally but also aligned vertically, emphasizing the directionality of empty and filled spaces.
- During the construction of the Empire State Building, ready-made blocks were used, which significantly reduced the time of its construction.
- Since the 1940s, the Empire State Building has been one of New York's tourist attractions. About two million tourists annually climbed its observation deck to admire the breathtaking views of the city from there.
- On major holidays and significant days, the top of the skyscraper sparkled with multi-colored illumination.
The entire dynamic bulk of the evil symbol of power and power of the 1930s is distributed over volumes, uncontrollably striving upwards under the attentive gaze of the audience. From a five-story base with an area of 0.65 hectares, a series of buildings rises, which gradually narrow, after which the corner sections pass into a central structure that extends like a telescope to a height of 86 floors. The structure continues to rise, imperceptibly passing into the antenna.
The sense of plasticity emanating from this gigantic object, firmly rooted in the ground and at the same time aspiring to the sky, is enhanced by repeating rows of modular windows, grouped horizontally, but also aligned vertically, which emphasizes the orientation of empty and filled spaces and creates a recognizable ornamental motif.
The forms of the Empire State Building, closely associated with Art Deco, are revealed from a completely unexpected side and from completely unexpected angles. First of all, there is a triumphant, but somewhat threatening image of the Tower of Babel; then the cinematic imagery of that era, like the fantastic buildings in Fritz Lang's film Metropolis, and images from the comics; and, finally, the fantastic images of the city of the future, drawn by Hugh Ferriss.
It is important to emphasize that the extreme vertical orientation of the Empire State Building was the result of changes in the rules governing urban development in Manhattan. To equalize the rights of individual citizens who built houses on their own land with the rights of those who agreed with the need to build skyscrapers, two types of structures were developed, depending on the place of construction.
The first represented a semblance of a ziggurat, when the building was built in ledges, but up to a certain height, while the second, with a clearly defined central section, could, theoretically, rise to any height - these were skyscrapers with a central tower, or "bell tower", which replaced the old ones, "vertically oriented" skyscrapers.
The Empire State Building, along with the Seagram Building, is a landmark of midtown New York, just as the twin towers were a landmark of downtown - from the observation decks of these skyscrapers, breathtaking views of the city and the surrounding landscape opened up.
The Empire State owed its success at the beginning of the “career” to the last circumstance. Its owners had difficulty finding companies willing to rent office space. Fortunately, the viewing platforms, which have become a place of pilgrimage for tourists, saved the building from imminent bankruptcy. Given that the construction of the building and its commissioning fell on the years of the banking collapse and the Great Depression that followed it, from which America recovered only after World War II, making the Empire State Building prosper was far from easy.
The symbol of the city
After the skyscraper was built, there were so few tenants in the 186,000 m2 of total space that it was nicknamed the "Empty State Building". But now there are more than 15,000 employees in the offices, and countless visitors come to them. If you climb to the observation deck in one minute, you can take a look at the surroundings at a distance of up to 128 kilometers.
Until 1972, the building remained the tallest in the world, then the infamous towers of the World Trade Center were built.
Even if from a financial point of view it was not an ideal investment, as a symbol of America it was a huge success. Hollywood was ready to exploit it - interiors, observation decks and views from them appear in all their splendor in films such as King Kong (filmed in 1933, when construction had just closed), In the City (1949) , Empire (filmed by Andy Warhol in 1964) and Manhattan (filmed by Woody Allen in 1979). His role in these films was the main one: the gymnastic platform for the exercises of the giant gorilla, the background against which the love story unfolds, the stage for the experimental theater of the absurd.
The Empire State is so popular that it almost humanizes in the imagination of many New Yorkers and some fringe artists. In his paintings, M. Vriesendorp exaggerates many features of skyscrapers and endows them with human qualities. Here is the plot of the most famous of them: Rockefeller Center opens the bedroom doors and, to its amazement, finds the masculine Empire State Building and the feminine and elegant Chrysler Building in the same bed. The bed cover is painted in the form of the city plan of Manhattan. The Statue of Liberty plays the role of a night lamp, and other skyscrapers look in with curiosity through the bedroom window.
Constructed for purely promotional purposes rather than out of any practical necessity, the Empire State Building, more than any other skyscraper of its generation, succeeded as the standard-bearer and symbol of the American dream. His image was replicated in countless advertising projects, and along with the images of the Chrysler Building, the Rockefeller Center and the Statue of Liberty, he rose - on a planetary scale - to the level of an icon.
The appearance in the relatively young city of Las Vegas of skyscrapers cut in the New York pattern testifies to the wide popularity and triumph of this model, designed to symbolize the imperial state (New York) and continues to this day to represent the paradoxical spiritualism of the financial power of capitalism.
The Empire State Building is one of the first and legendary skyscrapers in New York that has become its symbols. It was called the eighth wonder of the world, and until 1972 it proudly bore the title of the tallest building in the world. The history of construction is rich in interesting facts, both amazing and sad.
Building architecture
The project, which took only 2 weeks, was developed by a group of architects from Shreve, Lam and Harmon. In the design of the building, they successfully combined the mood of the public during the Great Depression and the new requirements for urban development.
skyscraper has stepped shape, narrows at the top. This is one of the requirements of the Urban Zoning Act (1916). The narrowing of the upper floors was to provide good street lighting.
The facades are devoid of any decor and are maximally simplified, however, the object is undoubtedly attributed to the Art Deco style. Not the last role in this is played by a set of materials - chrome steel, plastic and glass. A new and bold combination for that period of time.
New York skyscraper construction
In January 1930, construction began on the Empire State Building in New York. At the preparatory stage, a foundation pit was dug, utilities were laid, and a foundation was erected. In March of the same year, construction of the main part began.
All works were based on the conveyor principle. This is especially clearly demonstrated by the fact that the steel frame parts were mounted 8 hours after they were manufactured at the factory.
Directly at the construction site, coal furnaces were installed, in which rivets for the frame beams were heated. By the way, it was assembled up to the 86th floor in six months. In parallel with the assembly of the steel frame, plumbers and electricians worked inside the building, laying engineering communications.
Empire State Building - facts and figures
The famous New York skyscraper impresses not only with its scale, but also with some facts that not everyone knows about.
Empire State Building in numbers
Some of the figures given by statistics and historical chronicle make us look at the Empire State Building with different eyes:
- the construction took 10,000,000 bricks, 60,000 tons of steel elements, 6,500 window structures, about 700 km of electrical cables;
- about 100 lightning bolts a year strike the spire;
- the height by the end of construction was 381 m, but after the installation of the television tower, it increased to 443 m;
- total weight of the building 365,000 tons;
- about 3,000 people constantly worked at the construction site;
- the construction of the skyscraper took a record 410 days;
- the building has 103 floors, the connection between which is provided by 73 elevators;
- the observation decks of the Empire State Building were visited by 110,000,000 people;
- the offices of the skyscraper employ about 30,000 people;
- the cost of the building at the time of completion was $41,000,000, and in 2014 it was valued at $629,000,000.
There were some sad statistics. According to official figures, 5 people died during the construction.
The Empire State Building in New York is remembered not only for its height, architecture, but also for several interesting facts of its “biography”.
- The name of one of the most famous skyscrapers in the United States was due to the unofficial name of New York - Empire State or "Imperial State".
- It was possible to rent out all the offices of the tower only a decade after construction.
- At the highest point, it was planned to install a spire for mooring airships. In practice, this turned out to be impracticable due to the strong eddy currents of air at altitude.
- Every year on February 5, running competitions are held in the skyscraper. The winner is the one who overcomes 1576 steps in a record short time.
- Since the building contains a huge number of offices, it has your postal code - 10118.
- The main load is borne not by the foundation, but by the steel frame. This allows you to significantly reduce the weight of the structure.
- The Empire State Building has been the subject of several films. The most famous of them is "King Kong" (1933).
- A magnificent panorama opens from the observation deck. You can view the surroundings at a distance of 128 km.
It is a widely known fact that for the construction of the high-rise, installers from the Mohawk tribe were attracted, who were not afraid of heights.
New York skyscraper illuminated
Decades after the construction of the Empire State Building, the Empire State Building has become a symbol of the American dream and won special love from US citizens. He caused a new wave of interest and sympathy in 1964, when the upper part of the building was equipped with searchlights. They illuminated the TV tower and the last floors on holidays or any significant dates. The system still works today.
Each holiday and event corresponds certain colors of illumination. So, after the death of F. Sinatra, these were blue lights, on the anniversary of the Queen of Great Britain - purple-gold. After the destruction of the World Trade Center, the tower was illuminated in red, white and blue for several months. During the US Open tournament (tennis), yellow dominates.
On some memorable dates, the backlight is turned off completely for a short time.
Interesting fact! In 2012, 10 floodlights were replaced with 1,200 LEDs. They provide a wide range of backlight colors and are fully computer controlled. Currently, about 16 million colors are available to illuminate the top of the skyscraper.
On the official website of the Empire Building, you can always find out the current color of the backlight, as well as what it was like yesterday, what it will be like on the next significant date.
Incidents at the Empire State Building
In July 1945, an American bomber crashed into the Empire State Building between the 79th and 80th floors. The impact was so strong that the engine flew right through the building. The skyscraper itself received no particular damage. Most of the offices opened the next day without any problems. The collision claimed 14 lives.
New York is a city of thousands of skyscrapers, each of which is unique and inimitable in its own way. But only one of them managed to gain worldwide fame, and forever firmly gain a foothold in the history of the city. The Big Apple boasts the Empire State Building, its most recognizable landmark.
Located in the southern part of Manhattan Island, near 5th Avenue, at the intersection of 33rd and 34th Streets. Nearby are several significant places in the city, such as the City University of New York, Madison Avenue and Broadway. You can get there by car or public transport.
skyscraper height
The height of the Empire State Building in New York is just over 443 meters (including the spire), and the height on the roof of the building is 381 m. The last floor is located at around 373.1 m.
In total, the building has 103 floors. All of them occupy an area of more than 200 thousand square meters. For the convenience of visitors, it is equipped with 73 elevators that will take you to the very top in a matter of minutes.
85 tiers are reserved for offices. There are observation decks on two more. In the rest of the building there are exhibition halls, trading floors and halls for business meetings and negotiations.
Story
Its history began at the beginning of the last century. At that time, a real boom in the construction of skyscrapers began in America.
Design
A well-known architect, William Lamb, was invited to work on the project. The legendary skyscraper was not his first creation. He also designed the famous Carew Tower and the Reynolds Building.
According to the author's idea, the object was to become not only the tallest building, but also the first 100-story building in America. As a result, according to the project, the Empire State Building gained 103 floors and a 60-meter spire. The latter, by the way, was originally intended to be used for re-mooring airships. However, due to the danger of collision and constant strong winds, it was decided to abandon this idea. Now the spire is used as a radio and television antenna.
Construction
Construction began in 1930. The main contractors were the brothers Starrett and Eken. The project was financed by Pierre Dupont and John Raskob.
Almost 3.5 thousand workers from Europe were involved in the process, as well as casters of Indian origin, who were not at all afraid of heights.
At the time of construction, an old hotel was located on the site where the construction was planned. The former building had to be demolished, and the hotel itself was moved to Fifth Avenue.
To bring the project to life, several tons of aluminum, steel, limestone, concrete and granite were used. Construction lasted only 13 months, which by those standards is very fast.
Opening
It was solemnly opened on May 1, 1931. The red ribbon was cut by the then head of state, Al Smith. At the same moment, the President of the country pressed a button in the capital, and the skyscraper shone with thousands of lights.
Despite all the pomposity, initially it did not gain much popularity. Such a reaction, first of all, was due to the Great Depression, prevailing at that time in America.
Due to the crisis, the offices were completely filled only after a decade. The skyscraper brought its first profit only in 1951.
Among the most original are:
- elevators go up in 1 minute;
- an annual speed climb competition is held. The first person to climb 1860 steps will receive $1 million;
- during the Second World War, a plane crashed into a skyscraper due to heavy fog;
- the Empire State Building has a hall dedicated to world records;
- the skyscraper has its own index;
- the name embodies the grandeur of the state of New York;
- more than 50 weddings are held here annually;
- attendance - about 35 thousand people a year;
- Almost 100 lightning strikes the Empire State Building each year;
- the high-rise "played" a major role in the film about King Kong;
- the building has survived more than two dozen suicides in its history;
- listed on the US National Register of Historic Places;
- a professional athlete from Australia completed all the steps in less than 10 minutes.
Specifications
The height, together with the spire, is a little more than 440 m. The width of the structure is 140 m. The choice of such dimensions is due to the need for natural light and the correct installation of the ventilation system. The main support is the first five flights of stairs of the building, on which there are shops and a lobby.
The Empire State Building has 6,500 windows with a total area of 2 km². The design is as simple as possible. This greatly facilitated and accelerated the construction process.
The spire consists of 16 tiers. At its very top, an antenna is installed that transmits television and radio signals throughout the country.
architectural features
The main distinguishing feature of the buildings of the early 20th century was restraint and elegance. In this regard, The Empire State Building was erected in the classic art deco style. The facade is finished with steel and gray limestone slabs.
The Empire State Building was one of the first skyscrapers to be built using prefabricated steel frames. The assembled structure was overlaid with brick, after which it was revetted.
Lighting
In addition to conventional lighting, it is equipped with additional lighting. In 1964, special spotlights were installed on the upper part, and the famous skyscraper sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow.
The color scheme is selected depending on the day and event. For example, on the days of sports games, the top lights up in the colors of a particular team, on the day of gay parades - in multi-colored colors, and on St. Patrick's Day - green.
When the world heard the news of the death of Frank Sinatra, in memory of him the building was dressed in blue, in honor of the birthday of the Queen of Great Britain, the skyscraper lit up with the colors of the royal house.
Interior
The lobby is decorated with German marble, in discreet gray-lilac tones. At the end of the corridor, there is an aluminum bas-relief depicting a skyscraper basking in the sun.
Lookouts
Thanks to the viewing platforms, it has become extremely popular among both locals and visitors to the city. In total, more than 110 million people have already visited it.
The skyscraper boasts two of them at once. One is on tier 86. The viewing angle from this place is as much as 360 degrees, thanks to which the Big Apple is visible at a glance.
No less impressive view opens from the 102nd tier. This observation platform is slightly inferior in size to the first one, and for maximum safety of visitors, it is completely glazed. She doesn't work all the time. On very busy days, the site is closed.
On the 2nd floor there is a fascinating attraction. It was created specifically for the guests of the famous metropolis. The New York Skyride is a simulated flight over New York City. The virtual tour lasts 25 minutes. During this time, you can fly around the whole city and visit its most famous sights in absentia.
The attraction operates all year round. The ticket price is $52. Opening hours - from 8.00 to 22.00.
Exhibition "Sustainability"
He is also famous for his unusual exhibitions. To get started, you should go up to the second floor of the building and visit the Sustainability exhibition. Its main task is to show what internal and external changes have taken place in the Empire State Building over time.
During the tour, you can see with your own eyes the building materials, sculptures, and the latest technologies that were used for the reconstruction. For better perception, all processes are presented on digital displays.
Exhibition "Don't be afraid to dream"
Climbing up to the 80th floor, you can see an equally interesting exhibition - "Don't be afraid to dream." It demonstrates all stages of design and construction of the world's first 100-story skyscraper. The name of the exhibition was not chosen by chance.
Visitors to the exhibition can not only learn the full history of the skyscraper, but also see the original sketches, accounting documents, photographs.
How to get there
There are several ways to get there. It can be either your own car or public transport.
To get to your destination by subway, you need to take the Herald Square stations (lines B, N, R, M, D, Q, F) or Penn Station (lines 1,2 and 3). If your choice fell on the bus, then you should use the routes M4, M10, M16 and M34. If desired, you can use the services of a taxi. The time and cost of the trip will depend on the point of departure.
Opening hours
Works daily, without days off. Hours of operation are from 8:00 am to 2:00 am. The elevator makes its last ascent to the observation deck at 1.15. The time spent in the building and on observation decks throughout the day is not limited.
How to get
Entrance to the territory is absolutely free for all visitors. But to get to the observation decks, you need to purchase a ticket. You can go upstairs either by elevator or on foot.
Purchasing tickets
To avoid long queues, it is better to purchase a ticket in advance before visiting. This can be done at the box office or on the official website. Entrance to the 86th floor observation deck will cost $32. For a complex visit, you will have to pay $ 52. If you could not buy a ticket in advance, and you do not want to stand in line for a long time, you can buy an express pass. The cost is $55 and $75 respectively.
Local residents can get to the observation decks with a special city ticket. Schoolchildren, students and pensioners receive discounts.
You should know:
- there are no left-luggage offices, so all personal items will have to be carried with you;
- security does not allow bulky items and bags to be carried to the upper floors;
- tickets must be purchased in advance;
- there is a strong wind blowing on the 86th floor, so you should take a hat with you;
- to see the city through binoculars, you need to stock up on 50-cent coins;
- It is better to visit observation platforms in the morning.
Official website and other contact information
Address: New York, Manhattan, 350 Fifth Avenue
1. The construction of the Empire State Building took only 1 year and 45 days. The construction process was sped up by ESB's participation in a skyscraper construction race.
2. Much less money was spent than planned. The construction cost nearly $41 million. This is less than half of the projected costs.
3. The building has been empty for many years. Because of the Great Depression, no one could afford to rent an office at ESB. At the time of opening, about 80% of all premises were free.
4. One day, a plane crashed into the Empire State Building. It happened on July 28, 1945. A B-25 bomber crashed into a building between the 79th and 80th floors. The accident killed 11 people.
5. Rumor has it that the spire of the building was intended for tying airships.
6.
At the top of the tower, on the 103rd floor, there is a tiny room. It is used for maintenance and is not available to the public. 
7.
The Empire State Building is struck by up to 100 lightning bolts a year. 
8.
ESB has its own postal code - 10118. 
9.
The Empire State Building is a movie star. He played his first major role in a film about King Kong. Filming took place two years after its opening. 
10. Many of the workers, or as they were also called, "skywalkers", who built the building, were Mohawk Indians. They were famous for not being afraid of heights.
11.
Every year, on February 14, mass weddings take place in the skyscraper. The newlyweds get married on the 80th floor, receive free tickets to the observation deck and become members of the "Wedding Club". 
12. Every year, the skyscraper hosts a run up the stairs to the very top (1536 steps up to the 86th floor). The fastest time, at the time of this writing, was 9 minutes and 33 seconds by Paul Craik of Australia.
13. There are no residential premises in the ESB. Its premises are intended only for offices.
14. Very strong static electricity is generated at the top of the Empire State Building. Try to kiss your soul mate and between the lips you will feel the current)
15.
The ESB lights were first turned on from Washington, DC.
The opening of the Empire State Building on May 1, 1931 was a national event. President Herbert Hoover turned on the lights of the building while in Washington.
If you are in New York, be sure to take the time to visit this beautiful skyscraper and its observation deck.
Don't forget to buy a card. With it, you will save a lot of time and money when visiting the sights of New York.
How the ESB was built:
Views from the observation deck:
