1. The construction of the Empire State Building took only 1 year and 45 days. The construction process was accelerated by the fact that the ESB was involved in a construction race with the skyscraper.

2. Much less money was spent than planned. Construction cost almost $41 million. This is less than half of the projected costs.

3. The building has been empty for many years. Because of the Great Depression, no one could afford to rent an office at ESB. At the time of opening, about 80% of all premises were vacant.

4. One day a plane crashed into the Empire State Building. This happened on July 28, 1945. A B-25 bomber crashed into the building between the 79th and 80th floors. As a result of the accident, 11 people died.

5. Rumor has it that the building's spire was intended to anchor airships.

6. At the top of the tower, on the 103rd floor, there is a tiny room. It is used for maintenance and is not available to the public.

7. The Empire State Building is struck by up to 100 lightning strikes per year.

8. ESB has its own postal code - 10118.

9. The Empire State Building is a movie star. He played his first major role in the film about King Kong. Filming took place two years after its opening.

10. Many of the workers, or “skywalkers” as they were also called, who built the building were Mohawk Indians. They were famous for not being afraid of heights.

11. Every year, on February 14, mass weddings take place in the skyscraper. The newlyweds get married on the 80th floor, receive free tickets to the observation deck and become members of the “Wedding Club”.

12. Every year, the skyscraper hosts a race up the steps to the very top (1,536 steps to the 86th floor). The fastest time, at the time of writing this article, was 9 minutes and 33 seconds, achieved by Paul Craik from Australia.

13. There are no residential premises in the ESB. Its premises are intended only for offices.

14. At the top of the Empire State Building a very strong static electricity. Try to kiss your soul mate and you will feel a current between your lips)

15. The ESB lights were turned on for the first time from Washington, DC.
The opening of the Empire State Building on May 1, 1931, was a national event. President Herbert Hoover turned on the building's lights while in Washington.

If you're in New York, be sure to take the time to visit this beautiful skyscraper and its observation deck.

Don't forget to buy a card. With it you will save a lot of time and money when visiting the sights of New York.

How the ESB was built:

Views from the observation deck:

The Empire State Building is one of the most famous buildings in the world. Its authors, the architectural agency Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, were the first in history to decide to create a building project with more than a hundred floors. Opened in Mahattan in 1931, built in less than a year and a half, it was rightly considered the “eighth wonder of the world,” which was reflected in the painting of its hall. But in the 70s, the construction of the World Trade Center deprived it of the palm among the tallest buildings, and the growth in the number of skyscrapers not only in the USA, but also in other countries made the aura of uniqueness fade.

As a result new stage The development that began in the life of the Empire State Building at the end of the 20th century identified it as a participant in the race, no longer technological or construction, but tourist. The owners of the skyscraper, leaving it a huge office building that employs over 20 thousand people, also focus on its attractiveness for tourists. In particular, the unique gold painting of the ceiling in the lobby in the spirit of the 30s was restored, both observation decks(86 and 102 floors) are equipped so that they have a 360° view, a visitor center is open with a separate entrance from 34th street, there is a museum that includes Empire history State Building in the history of New York. These and other changes mean that a visit to the Empire State Building today is not only about looking at the Big Apple from a height of 373 meters, it is also about touching the living history of one of the most famous metropolises in the world, developing before your eyes.

Height of the Empire State Building in New York

There is anecdotal evidence that investors in the Empire State Building project did not negotiate the number of floors with the architect, asking him to design the building as tall as possible. Architect William Lamb started with 50 floors, but ended up with 103 floors.

The height of the Empire State Building from base to roof is 381 meters, taking into account the antenna installed on the roof - 443.2 meters. As of 2020, this is the second largest building in New York, the third in the USA, and the 51st in the world.

From the moment it was put into operation until 1970, this skyscraper in Manhattan remained unsurpassed in height not only in the States, but throughout the entire planet. A competitor appeared a dozen blocks to the south - in December 1970, the north tower of the World Trade Center was completed. Taking into account the antenna, the new building reached a record height of 530 meters.

In subsequent years, skyscrapers from other countries moved the Empire State Building to more distant positions on world lists. So by the time the Twin Towers were destroyed in 2001, he had returned to the position of leader only in the New York rankings. But in 2012, the building was in second place, since the Freedom Tower, 417 meters high (on the roof), was erected on the site of the World Trade Center.

Construction of the Empire State Building

The developers of the Empire State Building project created it in just 2 weeks. The efficiency is explained by the fact that they used developments from other orders. On the site of the future skyscraper stood one of the hotels of the Astoria chain; it was to be demolished. Work began in 1929. John Raskob, one of the businessmen who financed the construction of the skyscraper, hoped to attract investment and begin construction of a new building that same year, but in October the New York Stock Exchange collapsed, and a crisis began.

Neither Raskob nor another curator of the project, Alfred Smith, lost money, but people who planned to invest in the project went bankrupt. Despite the loss of a source of funds, and the threat of low demand for offices in the future skyscraper due to the obvious crisis, Raskob and Smith chose to take out a loan rather than abandon the project altogether.

Construction of the Empire State Building began on January 22, 1930, during the height of the Great Depression.

In the winter months, the demolition of the hotel was completed, and at the same time a hole was being dug for a giant foundation. The construction of the first load-bearing structures began on March 17. The pace of construction from the first stage was impressive. The first 14 floors were erected in 10 days, and subsequently they built approximately 4 floors per week.

By November, 75 floors had been built, with steel structures up to the 95th floor. From this time on, simultaneous interior finishing of the finished levels began. The installation of 66 elevators, each with a lifting speed of 366 m/min, also began. About 3,500 workers worked on the construction of the building. The Empire State Building was commissioned on May 1, 1931, just 405 days after construction began.

Skyscraper observation decks

The building has 2 observation decks: on the 86th and 102nd floors. To get to them, you need to purchase a ticket. It is separate for each site. Tourists can access the Empire State Building through the Visitor's Center, which has an entrance on 34th Street. Tickets are sold in vending machines with a simple interface. If difficulties arise, you can contact one of the employees present in the room for help.

The machines have partially solved the problem of queuing at the ticket counters, but be prepared to spend some time waiting at the exit to the site. To avoid this, tourists visiting the Empire State Building are advised to arrive when the site opens at 8:00 or after 22:00. There are not many people at this time. In addition, at the beginning of the day you can watch the city wake up, and in the late evening enjoy the ocean of lights of the Big Apple.

The observation deck of the 86th floor is located at an altitude of approximately 340 meters, the 102nd floor - at a level of 371 meters. Both have a full all-round view, and are decorated on the ceiling and floor with projections of nearby buildings, which can be seen if you approach the panoramic glazing. It offers views of both the Statue of Liberty and Central Park. To better understand the details of the view that opens, you should download the free Observatory Experience application from the official website of the skyscraper. Also at the sites you will find powerful binoculars that will allow you to see the details of the panorama.

What else to see

The Empire State Building is famous not only for its observation decks, but also for its architecture, restored lobby interiors, a small museum where you can take a photo in King Kong's huge paw, and also for its unique lighting. Getting to know these details will make your experience of visiting the skyscraper brighter.

Lobby

Since 2009, visitors to the Empire State Building lobby can see the same ceiling that appeared above the heads of the first visitors to the skyscraper in 1931. The large fresco, created using aluminum and gold, was covered with a false ceiling in the mid-20th century and decided to be restored only fifty years later.

Art Deco painting depicts the sky, full of planets and stars, which at the same time represent an assembly line of gears. This is how the designers of the last century expressed respect for the era of discoveries and technical progress. Also noteworthy is the wall behind the visitor registration desk in the lobby, which depicts the skyscraper itself and the rays emanating from its top.

It took a team of restorers 18 months to completely restore the frescoes, as well as the authentic lamps in the spirit of the 1930s, despite the fact that the entire building was built in only 13 months.

Museum and gift shop

On the 2nd floor there is a museum that tells not only about the history of the skyscraper and New York, but also about the place of the Empire State Building in popular culture. Here you can see photos of Manhattan streets in the 1920s, find out what ancient Otis elevators were like and how they worked, and also get acquainted with films, cartoons, comics, videos and other pop culture products that show the Empire State Building.

Among these films is the film “King Kong”, shot in 1933, as well as its remake, released in the “zero”. The museum even has a corner that consists of an image of King Kong looking through a window and models of his fingers breaking through the wall. Brave souls can take a photo with them!

Next to the museum there is a gift shop where you can buy magnets, dishes and other items depicting the Empire State Building. They also sell clothes with images of a skyscraper.

Ladder

Another remarkable object is the staircase, consisting of 1860 steps. Every year on February 5th, a speed climbing competition is held there. At the same time, the distance is limited to 1576 steps - participants finish on the 86th floor. New York firefighters and rescue workers also train on the stairs of the Empire State Building. Tourists can only access the stairs on competition days while participating in the race. The rest of the time it is closed to visitors; only high-speed elevators are used for ascent.

Backlight

The skyscraper's exterior lighting system also makes it one of the most remarkable buildings in New York. Spotlights are located on the upper tiers. They have been operating every day since 1964, with each day of the week corresponding to a different color.

On holidays and in honor memorable dates a unique range of shades is selected. For example, on the days of games of New York teams, the building takes on the color of their official colors, on the day of the celebration of the anniversary of Elizabeth II. In 2002, it became purple and gold (the official colors of the Windsor family), and when gay pride parades are held, the facade is painted in all the colors of the rainbow. The official website of the skyscraper even has a schedule of lighting gammas.

How to get to the Empire State Building in New York

If you're staying at a Manhattan hotel or are close to a skyscraper, check out the walking map on the building's website. If you plan to get to the Empire State Building by public transport, then take the metro or bus.

Metro. The 34 Street - Herald Square station is a 5-minute walk from the building. It is served by trains B, D, F and M (Sixth Avenue Line), N, Q, R, W (Broadway Line).

Bus. Opposite the skyscraper on West 34th Street is the W 34 St & 5 Av bus stop. It is reached by routes such as M34-SBS, M34A-SBS, QM10, QM12, QM15, QM16, QM17, QM18, QM24.

To order a taxi ride, use the mobile applications Uber, Via, Gett, Arro, Waave or others.

Panoramic view of Manhattan from the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building:

What is the view from the Empire State Building: video

The most famous skyscraper in New York City is located in Midtown Manhattan at the intersection of 34th Street and 34th Street.

The Empire State Building is made in the Art Deco style, has 102 floors, the height of the building including the spire is 443.2 meters. The building takes its name from the old colloquial name for New York State (The Empire State). The building was built in 1931 and for 40 years was the tallest building in the world (until New York City builders completed the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 1972).

The Empire State Building is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and represents the strength of the American economy and the spirit of the American Nation.

The building was designed by a group of architects led by the American architect William Lamb. Construction of the building began in March 1930, with 3,400 workers simultaneously employed on the construction site every day. The work was completely completed on May 1, 1931, meaning the building was completed in less than 14 months or 410 days.

The original cost of the Empire State Building was estimated at $43 million (642 million in 2012 prices), however, due to the outbreak of the economic crisis— During the Great Depression, at the beginning of construction and during the year when the building was being erected, engineers were constantly looking for ways to reduce its cost; the final cost of the building by the end of construction was a little more than half of the initially expected costs - $25 million.

During the first year of operation of the Empire State Building, its observation deck brought the owners an income of $2 million, which was comparable to the funds received from renting out the building's space.

However, for several years, the owners of the Empire State Building were unable to fill the building with tenants by more than 60%, which was explained by the ongoing Great Depression. Due to this, the building was popularly nicknamed the EMPTY State Building. Thus, the building paid off for investors only after 19 years in 1950.

The Empire State Building is the first building in the world to have more than 100 floors. The building has 6,500 windows and 73 elevators. Today, the building houses more than 1,000 tenant companies and more than 21,000 office workers visit the building every weekday, making it the second largest commercial building in America after the Pentagon.

Interesting facts

After the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 (9/11) and the collapse of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the Empire State Building again became the tallest building in the world;

The building is currently owned by more than 2,800 investment funds through Empire State Building Associates L.L.C;

Over the years of the Empire State Building's existence, more than 30 people have committed suicide by jumping from its observation deck located on the 86th floor;

On December 2, 1979, Evita Adams jumped from a building's observation deck but was thrown to the floor below by a gust of wind, where she was found with a broken hip;

On July 28, 1945, at 9:40 a.m., an American pilot flying a B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building between the 79th and 80th floors as a result of loss of control. As a result of the incident, 13 office workers and the pilot himself were killed;

Push

The feeling of being at the foot of the Empire State Building is breathtaking. What amazes the most is the fact that this giant was built in 410 calendar days! It's crazy... By the way, during my life in Moscow, I worked for 3 years in one fairly well-known development company; our company was engaged in the construction of one of the Moscow City high-rises. So, for example, the construction of that high-rise has been going on since 2003, but it’s 2013—and the building is not a quarter complete.

The view from the observation deck cannot be described, it is amazing. It is better to visit the building in the evening, when New York is completely immersed in illumination. Long queues of tourists can somewhat spoil the impression, but after going to the observation deck, you will completely forget about it! You can get acquainted with the Empire State Building at one of my individual ones.

There are two observation decks - at the 86th floor level and at the 102nd floor level. There are so-called “express” tickets (bypassing most of the queues), so by overpaying $22 per person, you can save an hour and a half of your own time. Access to the landing on the 102nd floor is paid separately (+ $17) - this is where you can definitely save money; the landing at the top is cramped; the view from it is practically indistinguishable from the view from the 86th floor.

You will probably become one of the millions of tourists crowding into huge queues in order to get into Empire State Building. This is not surprising, because King Kong himself tried to get to the top of the building. In every corner of New York you will find souvenirs, postcards, brochures and T-shirts with the image of the Empire State Building.

Empire State Building officially opened on May 1, 1931, and became the tallest building of that time. Its height is 1,250 feet (381 m). This skyscraper has become not only an icon of New York, it has become a symbol of human desire to achieve the impossible.

Built in 1889, the 984-foot (300 m) Eiffel Tower spurred American architects to build something taller. This may have been the reason for the start of the skyscraper race in the twentieth century. So, in 1909, the fifty-story MetLife Tower (Metropolitan Life Tower), whose height is 700 feet (214 m), was built. 4 years later, in 1913. The 57-story Woolworth Building, 792 feet (241 m) high, was built. And in 1929, the tallest building in New York was the 71-story Bank of Manhattan Building - 927 feet (283 m).

When former General Motors vice president John Jakob Raskob decided to join the skyscraper race, Walter Chrysler (founder of Chrysler Corporation) was already building the Chrysler Building. Chrysler kept the height of its building a strict secret, so when construction began, Raskob did not know whose building would be taller, his or Chrysler's.

In 1929, Raskob bought the site for his skyscraper at the intersection of 34th Street and Fifth Avenue. The glamorous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was located on this site. The land on which the hotel was located greatly increased in value, so the hotel owners decided to sell it and build a new hotel in another location. Raskob cost this plot of land (including the hotel) approximately $16 million.

To develop the skyscraper project, Raskob hired the company Shreve, Lamb & Harmon.

While discussing a building project with architect William Lamb, Raskob took a long pencil, put it on the table and asked: “Bill, how tall can you build a building without it falling?” Thus began the saga of the construction of one of the most famous buildings in the world.

To complete the project, Raskob needed the best builders. Having invited contractors from Starrett Bros. to an interview. & Eken,” Raskob asked – do they have the necessary construction equipment? To which Poll Starrett, the company foreman, replied that they didn’t even have a pick and shovel. Raskob, of course, was surprised by this answer, since other construction companies with whose representatives he spoke had all the necessary equipment, and rented what was missing. However, Starrett convinced him that a building of this scale required a special approach and conventional construction equipment would not help. For the construction of the skyscraper, Starrett offered to buy new equipment on credit and sell it after completion of the work. Thanks largely to his honesty and openness, Starrett received an eighteen-month construction contract Empire State Building.

The first item on Starrett's schedule was the demolition of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. After people learned of the hotel's demolition, Raskob received thousands of requests for keepsakes of parts of the building. An Iowa resident asked for a piece of metal railing, and several people asked for keys to the room they occupied during their honeymoon. They also asked to send a flagpole, stained glass windows, fireplaces, lamps, bricks, etc. And for some particularly popular items, an auction was held.

The remaining building materials were sold for reuse. The bulk of the debris was hauled to the dock, loaded onto barges, towed fifteen miles offshore and dumped into the Atlantic Ocean.

Even before the hotel was completely demolished, builders had already begun excavating a foundation pit for a new building. Two shifts of 300 people worked day and night, digging into the hard rocky ground.

The building's steel frame was completed on March 17, 1930. Two hundred and ten steel columns made up the vertical frame. Twelve of them stretched the full height of the building, the other parts were from six to eight floors in height.

Passers-by often stopped and raised their heads to look at the workers with admiration. Harold Butcher, a correspondent for the London Daily Herald, described the builders as "casually strolling, crawling, climbing, arm-waving men floating on giant steel frames."

But the most interesting thing was watching the rivet riveters. They worked in groups of four: heater, catcher, thrower and riveter. The heater placed about ten rivets in the fire forge, when they were red-hot, he pulled them out with huge tongs and passed them to the thrower, who in turn threw them at a distance of 50 to 75 feet - at the catcher. The catcher caught the rivets using a tin can; they fell into the can while still hot. With his other hand, he used tongs to pull the rivet out of the jar, blow off the ash from it, and then insert it into the hole. The riveter could only hammer it in with a hammer. These people walked in this way all the way from the 1st to the 102nd floor. The last rivet was ceremoniously driven in in the presence of a large number of people - this rivet was cast from pure gold.

Construction frame Empire State Building was a model of efficiency. All work was aimed at saving time, money and human resources. For the prompt delivery of materials at the construction site, a railway. Instead of unloading ten million bricks on the construction site, as was usually done, Starrett's workers unloaded them into a special chute that led to a bunker located in the basement. The gutter narrowed at the bottom, which made it possible to control the release of its contents. If necessary, bricks were poured from the bunker directly into carts, which were then lifted to the desired floor. This process eliminated the need to close streets to store bricks, and also eliminated the need to manually load bricks from piles into carts.

Literally simultaneously with the construction of the frame, electricians and plumbers installed the internal communications of the building.

Having built 80 floors, Raskob realized that this was not enough, since the Chrysler Building was becoming even taller. Having added 5 more floors, the Empire State Building became only four feet taller than its competitor. Raskob was bothered by the idea that Walter Chrysler was hiding a rod in the spire of the building, thanks to which, in last moment he can make the skyscraper even taller.

The race of skyscrapers became more and more dramatic. After studying a model of the building, Raskob came up with the idea of ​​​​building a pier for airships on top of the skyscraper. New project The Empire State Building, which included a pier for landing airships, made the building 1,250 feet (381 m) tall.

Have you ever waited for an elevator in a six or nine story building that seemed to take forever? Or have you ever taken an elevator that stopped at each floor to pick up or drop off a passenger? The Empire State Building had 102 floors, with the ability to accommodate 15 thousand people. How to get all the people to the right floor without waiting for hours for the elevator or climbing the stairs?

To solve this problem, the architects designed seven categories of elevators, each serving specific floors. For example, group A serves from the third to seventh floor, group B - from the 7th to 18th floor. Thus, if you need to get to the 65th floor, for example, you could take the Group F elevator, which has stops from the 55th to 67th floors, rather than from the 1st to 102nd.

Otis Elevator Company installed 58 passenger and 8 freight elevators in the Empire State Building. Although these elevators could travel at speeds of up to 1,200 feet (365 m) per minute, their speed was limited by building codes to 700 feet (213 m) per minute. A month after the Empire State Building opened, this restriction was lifted and the elevators accelerated to 1,200 feet per minute.

Empire State Building was built within the planned time frame of 1 year and 45 days, which was an amazing achievement. Construction of the building came within budget due to the onset of the Great Depression, during which labor costs were reduced. The total cost of construction work was $40,948,900, instead of the planned $50 million.

The Empire State Building opened on May 1, 1931. The ribbon was cut by New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker, and President Herbert Hoover, with a symbolic push of a button from Washington, lit up the skyscraper with thousands of lights.

Empire State Building received the status of the most tall building in the world and maintained this level until the construction of the first World Trade Center tower in 1972.

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. Stainless steel strips stretch upward along the gray stone façade, and the upper floors are arranged in three terraces.

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 to begin construction of high-rise buildings. There were many reasons for this. Firstly, technical innovations have already been actively used - lightweight construction reinforcement, high-speed elevators, strip foundations, etc. Secondly, with late XIX century, the price of land was quite high, so the construction of multi-story buildings turned out to be economically profitable. But, despite the lower 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 built 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 in fashion. 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.