Where is the Empire State located? Empire State Building: the history of the famous tower

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 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 the island of Manhattan, 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. last century were 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. A new version pursued, first of all, not entertainment, but educational and informational purposes. 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 skyscrapers, known not only in, but throughout the world. It stands on a par with such famous buildings as the Pyramid of Cheops and. This building was and remains a symbol of brilliant New York. Forty years ago, the Empire State was the tallest building in the world, but it still amazes with its size. On the wall of the huge marble-decorated lobby, the Empire State Building is presented as the eighth wonder of the world.

Features of the Empire State Building

The 102-story Empire State Building is located on Fifth Avenue. It was built back in 1931 and is the tallest skyscraper in New York.

Despite its large size, the skyscraper looks quite elegant: the proportions of the Empire State Building are simple and elegant. The upper floors are built somewhat deeper in relation to the general line of the facade. The building is designed in a modest but elegant art deco style. On gray stone facade Strips of stainless steel stretch upward, and the upper floors are arranged in three ledges.

Standing on the sidewalk in front of a 102-story skyscraper, it is very difficult to see the entire building - it is so large. The dimensions of the building are truly amazing: the height without the tower is 381 meters, and together with the television tower, built in the 50s, it reaches a total height of 449 meters. The weight of the structure is 331 thousand tons.

Of course, the best way to move between floors is with the help of elevators, but there are eccentrics who prefer to climb to the very top floor using the stairs, which have 1,860 steps. Once a year there is a competition for the fastest climb. The winner receives one million dollars.

The rest still prefer to use elevators. The office space can accommodate 15,000 people, and the elevators can carry 10,000 passengers in one hour.

The Empire State is not only a hub of offices, but also a real attraction for tourists. Inside the hall, which is 30 meters long and three floors high, hangs a huge panel with images of eight, one of which is the Empire State Building itself. The Guinness World Records Hall contains information about unusual records and record holders. There are observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors, which can be reached very quickly by elevator. From here you have an amazing view of the city.

History of the Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is located at 350 Fifth Avenue, New York. This part of Manhattan is still considered very prestigious. Skyscrapers, of which there are plenty, only further emphasize the respectability of this area.

New York and Chicago became the first cities where construction began high-rise buildings. There were many reasons for this. Firstly, technical innovations have already been actively used - lightweight construction fittings, high-speed elevators, strip foundation etc. Secondly, since the end of the 19th century, the price of land was quite high, so construction multi-storey buildings turned out to be economically beneficial. But despite more low price, placing an office in a skyscraper was and still remains very prestigious. Now, to rent an office in a skyscraper, you have to pay much more than for similar apartments in a regular building.

The modern Empire State Building is built on the site that has been a center for the local aristocracy since 1860. Then there were two noble houses here, belonging to members of the richest Astor family. Subsequently, the Waldorf and Astoria hotels were built here. These two hotels operated in the 90s of the 19th century. In 1929, both hotels were demolished to make way for the construction of the Empire State Building.

The building is built on a two-story foundation (to make the skyscraper more stable) and supported by a steel structure weighing 54,400 tons. Ten million bricks and 700 kilometers of cable were spent on construction. Construction was led by John Jacob Raskob (creator of General Motors). The project was completed by the architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon.

The building was built simply with unheard of speed. In just over a year and a half, 38 construction teams (5 people each) assembled the frame of the skyscraper from a huge number of metal beams, which were delivered to the construction site along a specially built road. Construction was very difficult and risky: every day workers had to balance on the narrow beams of this frame.

The skyscraper grew literally before our eyes. Approximately four and a half floors were built each week, and during the most intense period, 14 floors were completed in 10 days. The entire building was built in 1 year and 45 days.

On May 1, 1931, the official opening of the Empire State Building took place, which received the status of the tallest building on our planet, overtaking the previous record holder - the headquarters of the Chrysler automobile corporation.

The opening of the skyscraper coincided with the great economic depression. Not many could afford to rent an office in this building. At the time, the building was even nicknamed the “Empty State Building.” Ten years passed until all the premises were finally delivered.

At first, the creators of the skyscraper planned to build a flat roof to create a platform for airships. But later this idea was abandoned: the site is an expensive pleasure, and airships were coming out and fashions were coming out. In 1950, it was decided to build on the skyscraper: a small television tower, 447 meters high, was installed on the roof.

The name of the Empire State Building comes from the words "bilding", which in English means "building" or "structure". "Empire State" (translated from English as "empire state") is the unofficial name of the state of New York.

The skyscraper quickly gained notoriety because it turned out to be very attractive to suicides. The first suicide occurred in 1933, just 3 years after its opening. In the same year, the film “King Kong” was released, and the image of this building was firmly connected in the minds of millions of viewers with a huge monster climbing the walls of a skyscraper. To top it all off, in 1945, due to poor visibility, a plane crashed into the 79th floor. 14 people were killed and damage amounted to one million dollars. Then they began to say that the Empire State Building was almost a diabolical invention. True, successful businessmen called all this complete nonsense and continued to fight for the right to rent an office in the most respectable building in Manhattan.

In 1986, the Empire State Building was designated a National Landmark. More than 35,000 tourists visit it every year, not counting the fact that more than 50,000 people work in the building itself.

For decades now, the Empire State Building has been considered a symbol of New York and the entire American state.

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 number one was included in the list of the best American architectural solutions 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. Every day of the week has its own color, holidays and significant dates have special color combinations. A unique spectacle.

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. The very 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 the Empire State Building officially opened on May 1, 1931, 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 winds threw Miss Adams to 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.

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. Because of large quantity 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. The new version was primarily intended not for entertainment, but for educational and informational purposes. It also included patriotic elements.

SPORT. The Empire State Building is not only the tallest building in the city, the hallmark of Manhattan and a symbol of American architecture, but also a running platform. 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.

Today, the famous skyscraper Empire State Building has again become the tallest building, ranking fifteenth in height in the world and third in the world.

The first decades of the last century for New York became a period of a kind of competition between skyscraper builders - who could build the tallest. In 1913, the Woolworth Building, which had 57 floors, created a sensation. For 17 years it was the highest. In 1930, it was briefly surpassed by the 70-story skyscraper at 40 Wall Street, and then by the seventy-seven-story office of the automobile giant Chrysler.

The main task that was set to the builders of the Empire State Building was to surpass in height all the buildings that existed at that time.

William Lamb was appointed head of the design of this skyscraper. This architect was no stranger to such matters, having previously successfully designed the Carew Tower in Cincinnati and the Reynolds Building in North Carolina. The construction was financed by businessman John Raskob, as well as Pierre DuPont, owner of the giant chemical concern DuPont and the leading US automobile corporation General Motors.

The building was to be located on the site of the obsolete old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, at the intersection of West 34th Street and busy Fifth Avenue. Preparations for construction and digging a foundation pit for the tallest building in New York began in January 1930, and, in fact, construction began on March 17 of the same year, timed to coincide with one of the most popular American holidays - St. Patrick's Day.

The Empire State Building was built by more than 4 thousand workers, mostly newcomers to the United States from the European countries. Also working with them as high-altitude installers were representatives of the Mohawk (or “Mohawk”) Indian people, who traditionally have no fear of heights. Construction works construction of the skyscraper was characterized by a fairly high rate of industrial injuries. Five accidents were fatal.

The Empire State Building was built very quickly; its construction took only 1 year and a month and a half. The building was put into operation on May 1, 1931. Construction cost $40 million (in 1931 prices).

One of the most remarkable moments was the fact that the Empire State Building became the first skyscraper in history with more than a hundred floors. Together with the spire, it is 443 meters high (381 meters without the spire), and has one hundred and two floors. For forty-one years it was the tallest building not only in America, but in the whole world. In 1972, it was surpassed in height by the World Trade Center towers. However, the tragic events of September 2001 associated with the terrorist attack on these towers returned the Empire State Building to the first position in New York.

The skyscraper has 6,500 windows covering an area of ​​more than two hectares, total area building premises – about 250,000 square meters. Employees working in the building and visitors can use 73 elevators.

The architectural style that the Empire State Building belongs to is Art Deco. This style was very typical for the USA in the 30s, especially for high-rise buildings. The name of the skyscraper comes from the humorous nickname “Empire State”, given by the Americans to the state of New York.

Basically, the Empire State Building is occupied by office rooms(85 floors). Floors 86 and 102 are specially designed for tourists; there are platforms for viewing the city. The building has a special category in the US postal classification and is even assigned a separate zip code.

The total number of employees in the Empire State Building is more than twenty thousand. Of all US office buildings in terms of usable space, it holds second place, second only to the Pentagon.

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!”

Where is it: location

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

From 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 were emigrants from Europe, as well as several hundred installers who came from the Tomahawk Indian tribe, whose distinctive feature was the absence of 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 as soon as possible and were already under 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, which is why the building was empty for a long time: 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 outdoors in New York. 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 the most important events, holidays and celebrations has been 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.

To achieve this effect, the filters on the spotlights were manually changed: 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

Skyscraper 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 exhibition "Sustainability" demonstrates Newest technologies and processes, 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: The exhibition chronicles the history, design and construction of the building. It includes original documents: photographs, architectural sketches, construction notes and daily accounting documents.

Get more detailed information about the building, its location 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.