Empire State Building

New York, New York: Towering over the Midtown Manhattan sky, the iconic Empire State Building has been an symbol of New York City for over seventy five years. At 102 stories, it is the third largest building in the United States and fifteenth in the world.

Construction of the William Lamb designed tower began in January of 1930. Thousands of workers aided in the quick construction of the building, with an average of four and a half floors a week added to the rising structure. The building officially opened on May 1, 1931 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and President Herbert Hoover officially turning on the lights.

The Empire State Building was in a race with the nearby Chrysler Tower to be the world’s tallest building. Upon completion of the project at 1,454 feet tall, the Empire State Building remained the world’s tallest structure until 1967. It still remained the tallest building in the city until the completion of the World Trade Center in 1973. Upon the collapse of the World Trade Center in the terrorist attacks of 2001, the Empire State Building once again became the largest building in the city.

The building, designed as an office complex, struggled commercially in the beginning. Much of the building remained empty for several years. The building began to rebound financially after being sold to Roger Stevens in 1951 in the largest sale in real-estate history at the time, $51 million dollars. Today the building is home to many large clients

In addition to the commercial space, millions of visitors come to the Empire State Building to catch a view from the two observatories, offering sweeping views of the city and nearby states. The 86th Floor Observatory rises 1,050 feet above the ground and has an open air terrace. The 102nd Floor Observatory is a special ticket view location offering enclosed views from the highest point in the city. On a clear day the viewing distance from the observatory is up to eighty miles, allowing visitors to see the city as well as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

From King Kong scaling the building and the unforgettable first meeting in Sleepless in Seattle to the countless memories of the millions of visitors that made the trek to the observation deck, one thing is for certain; the Empire State Building will continue to be a legend of the New York skyline.