The Empire State Building

A New York City classic, the Empire State Building has been part of Manhattan’s skyline for 81 years and is a popular tourist destination for people from around the world. While is does not have the vast reserves and historical presence of the New York Public Library, it does have its own story and drama worth telling.

Photo courtesy of Maps of the World

Before you even enter the building, you are hounded by salesmen from NY Skyride claiming you NEED TO CHECK OUT THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING!! “NY Skyride?” you say to yourself, “that must be awesome!” Figuring it was some type of tramway between skyscrapers, I head inside to check it out. Again greeted by the friendly folks from this amazing tour company, I grab a pamphlet and head upstairs to the ticketing office. I’m in the process of getting amped to dangle hundreds of feet over the city, when I find that NY Skyride is, in fact, a video. For a small fee ($33) you get to watch a virtual tour of the city – in high def! Think that’s a little pricey? Don’t worry, it’s well worth the money. Kevin Bacon is the narrator. Did I mention high def?

Now THIS is what I want to see if I have to pay up!

Anyway, I decided to forego the virtual tour and continued on to the regular ticketing office. Other add-ons I declined included a map (laminated! $8) of the city and a guided audio tour (also $8) explaining which direction you were looking and what you were looking at. That last one may have been worth the added expense, but I figured the iPhone would do a decent enough job by itself. Continuing on, I was directed by no fewer than 20 employees on where to go next. They had signs everywhere and even had those velvet ropes to move people like cattle, but I guess folks still like to wander when employees aren’t directing them where to go. Fortunately since it was a weekday afternoon during a non-tourist time of year, there weren’t many other people to direct.

If a welcome sign doesn't cut it for you, don't worry. A host of employees are present to welcome you with open arms as well. 

Next stop: the 80^th floor. I took an elevator from the second to the 80^th floor, which probably took less than a minute. I wish the elevators were made from glass so I could see how fast it was going! There were windows on this floor, but they were covered with old pictures of the building during its construction phases, probably to keep people moving along and get them excited for the big view on the 86^th floor. The 80^th floor also had some information on the history of the building: on March 17, 1930, construction on the Empire State Building began. Under the direction of architects Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates, and a peak labor force of 3,000 men, frame work rises at a rate of 4 stories per week. (At its peak, the building rose at the rate of a story a day!) By April 7^th of the same year the building’s structural columns were set, and six months after that the frame was already to the 86^th floor. The building was officially complete on May 1, 1931 – just a little over a year after construction started. Compare that to the construction of the Public Library, which a few decades earlier took 16 years to complete!

A massive amount of steel was required to construct the building. Engineer Homer Balcom designed the steel skeleton for the building including drawings of every column, beam, girder, and brace. The steel moment frame, connected with rivets, was typical skyscraper design of the era, but with proportions unheard of at the time and which remain extraordinary even today. The steel requirement was so large that the fabrication was split between two mills – American Bridge Company and McClintic-Marshall Company. The greatest number of men employed on steel erection alone was 350, spread among riveting gangs, derrick gangs, hoisting engineers, and other ironworkers.

Don't look down!

The Empire State Building compared to other buildings of its time

The owners decided to give the Empire State an iconic, inspiring crown. In theory, dirigibles were to moor at the tip of the mast. The stainless steel and glass mast was a brilliant gesture, but the powerful winds at 1,250 feet above New York City ensured no airship ever successfully docked there. The mooring mast was a late addition not included in any preliminary architectural schemes. After the Chrysler Building topped out at 1,046 feet, however, the 200-foot mooring mast was added to designs in November 1929, and today contains a metal staircase and elevator that lifts visitors (for an additional fee) to the 102^nd floor Observatory for a bird’s eye view of NYC and surrounding states.

Since its construction, a few notable events have taken place. In 1961 the building was sold to its current owners – an investment group headed by Lawrence A. Wien for $65 million. This was the highest amount ever paid for a building at the time. In 1966 the manually operated high-speed elevators on the first 80 floors of the building were replaced with fancy automatic elevators that are still there today. In 1986 the Empire State Building became a National Historic Landmark, and in 2007 the building is given a $550 million face-lift. In 2009 the building was retrofitted with energy-efficient measures to become more “green,” and in 2010 was officially ranked one of the most energy efficient buildings in the US by the EPA.

All of that being said, what you really pay for when you gain admittance to the Empire State Building is the spectacular view. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the pictures! And if you ever visit don’t forget to bring your camera. 

West view

Looking to the west, high above the legendary Madison Square Garden sports arena you can see the jet-black spike of One Penn Plaza. Immediately to the right is the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Look past there, and you'll see the former WWII aircraft carrier Intrepid - home to the Sea, Air and Space Museum. Across the Hudson River you get a great view of New Jersey and beyond, to Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains (hard to see in my picture). 

North view

Looking to the north from left to right, start with the Hudson River - watch as it flows beneath the George Washington Bridge, which connects New York to New Jersey. You will see the green MetLife Building directly in front of One Bryant Park, with its angles and spire. Moving right, there is the GE Building, the angled roof of Citigroup Center, and the second MetLife building. If it's a clear day, you can see well beyond New York and New Jersey to Connecticut, and even Massachusetts. 

East view

Directly east is the Borough of Queens, separated from Manhattan by the East River. Right beside the river is the United Nations headquarters, and just west from there is the famous Chrysler building. Across the river, standing high above Queens is the Citicorp Building. Keep spanning north, up the river, and you will see two bridges: the Queensborough Bridge (in the King of Queens theme song!), connecting Queens and Manhattan, and the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge Tri-Borough, connecting Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx. Look carefully and you can see planes taking off and landing at LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports - though probably not at this resolution. 

South view

 Looking south you can see Manhattan's financial district. But before you get all the way downtown, check out at the aptly name Flatiron Building and the historic Woolworth Building - once the world's tallest at at mere 60 floors. Look to the right and you'll see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and to the left are the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges (also a little hard to see in this photo). And here are a few more photos to finish up the post: 

Looking down

A long flight up for a local pigeon!