The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark in New York City, United States, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It is 1,250 ft (381 meters) tall.Its name is derived from the nickname for New York, the Empire State. It stood as the world's tallest building for 40 years, from its completion in 1931 until construction of the World Trade Center's North Tower was completed in 1972. Following the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001, the Empire State Building once again became the tallest building in New York City.
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| The Empire State Building under construction, 1931 |
The site of the Empire State Building was first developed as the John Thompson Farm in the late 18th century. At the time, a stream ran across the site, emptying into Sunfish Pond, located a block away. Beginning in the late 19th century the block was occupied by the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, frequented by The Four Hundred, the social elite of New York.
The building's opening coincided with the Great Depression in the United States, and as a result much of its office space went without being rented. The building's vacancy was exacerbated by its poor location on 34th Street, which placed it relatively far from public transportation, as Grand Central Terminal, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and Penn Station are all several blocks away. Other more successful skyscrapers, such as the Chrysler Building, did not have this problem. In its first year of operation, the observation deck took in approximately 2 million dollars, as much money as its owners made in rent that year. The lack of renters led New Yorkers to deride the building as the "Empty State Building". The building would not become profitable until 1950. The famous 1951 sale of The Empire State Building to Roger L. Stevens and his business partners was brokered by the prominent upper Manhattan real-estate firm Charles F. Noyes & Company for a record $51 million. At the time, that was the highest price ever paid for a single structure in real-estate history.
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| A worker bolts beams during construction; the Chrysler Building can be seen in the background. |
The Empire State Building has one of the most popular outdoor observatories in the world, having been visited by over 110 million people. The 86th-floor observation deck offers impressive 360-degree views of the city. There is a second observation deck on the 102nd floor that is open to the public. It was closed in 1999, but reopened in November 2005. It is completely enclosed and much smaller than the first one; it may be closed on high-traffic days. Tourists may pay to visit the observation deck on the 86th floor and an additional amount for the 102nd floor.The lines to enter the observation decks, according to the building's website, are "as legendary as the building itself:" there are five of them: the sidewalk line, the lobby elevator line, the ticket purchase line, the second elevator line, and the line to get off the elevator and onto the observation deck.For an extra fee tourists can skip to the front of the line.
Record height
Tallest in the world from 1931 to 1971
Preceded by : Chrysler Building (in the background of the picture)
Surpassed by : World Trade Center (until 2001); currently unsurpassed in New York City
General information
Type : Office, observation
Location : 350 Fifth Avenue
Manhattan, New York 10118
Coordinates : 40°44′54.36″N 73°59′08.36″WCoordinates: 40°44′54.36″N 73°59′08.36″W[2]
Construction started : 1929
Completed : 1931
Cost : $40,948,900[4]
Height
Antenna spire :1,454 ft (443.2 m)
Roof :1,250 ft (381.0 m)
Top floor : 1,224 ft (373.2 m)
Technical details
Floor count :102
Floor area : 2,768,591 sq ft (257,211 m2)
Design and construction
Management : W&H Properties
Main contractor : Starrett Brothers and Eken
Architect : Shreve, Lamb and Harmon
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