The Empire State Building

Article By: Dan Hill

4 years ago

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Culture-Historical Building Culture-Landmark Culture-Tower

For 42 years from its construction in 1930, the iconic Empire State Building, on the west side of Fifth Avenue on Manhattan, stood as the world's tallest building.The World Trade Centre building took its top spot. After the WTC's tragic collapse on 9th September 2001, the Empire State Building again became New York City's tallest building - reigning until 2012. Following a construction boom, the Empire State Building is today (2020) relegated to the 7th tallest building in New York City and the world's 48th tallest. The building attracts 4 million tourists on a regular year - thanks to its central location in Midtown Manhattan, its Art Deco style and the popular observation decks. And, truth be told, it's the observation decks that they stand in the long lines for. And when I say long lines, they can get very loooong! On my last visit, with my father, we opted for the $69 VIP Express Pass - at a $30+ premium to the regular ticket price. When your stay in New York City is limited and you want to maximise your time by seeing as many sights as possible, the last thing you want to do is waste hours in lines. On that occasion, I must admit to feeling a bit of a cheat as we were escorted to the front of the lines - but as we saw how many people we passed, I am extremely glad we made the investment.The observation decks are located on the 80th, 86th, and 102nd floors. I really enjoyed my visit to the observation deck - and I can highly recommend it, to gain a real life perspective of the scale of Manhattan. You stand outside the building, behind iron railings. It's an odd feeling to see regular skyscrapers look relatively small below you. Pushed ahead by the roaring 1920s "Race To The Sky", the buildings plans went from 50 to 60 to 80 floors and then to the present 102. Rivalry with the Chrysler building, and fears that the owners of that building could plant a spire on top to win the crown of highest building, pushed the owners of the Empire State Building to a final design of 1,250 feet (380 meters). There were 15 versions of the original plans made, before the building was finally approved. The final building has been called one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. 3,500 workers contributed to the construction of the Empire State Building - and it was completed in a mere 18 months. The building has 6,514 windows and 73 elevators. Photo by Kit Suman on Unsplash