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Empire State Building (1930–Present), NYC

Empire State Building (1930–Present), NYC



The Empire State Building, located at 350 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, is one of the most iconic skyscrapers in the world. Planned during the skyscraper race of the late 1920s, it was financed by former New York governor Alfred E. Smith and built by the Empire State Inc. consortium, led by John J. Raskob (of General Motors) and Pierre du Pont. The architectural firm Shreve, Lamb & Harmon designed the building in the Art Deco style, while the general contractor was Starrett Brothers and Eken. Construction officially began on March 17, 1930, and was completed in a record-breaking 1 year and 45 days, with the opening on May 1, 1931. The cost was about $40.9 million (approximately $700 million today), far below projections due to the economic climate of the Great Depression. Rising to 1,250 feet (381 m) at the roof and 1,454 feet (443 m) with its antenna, it was the tallest building in the world until 1970.




More than 3,400 workers, many immigrants and Mohawk ironworkers from the Kahnawake reserve near Montreal, worked on the project, assembling steel girders, Indiana limestone, and aluminum spandrels with remarkable speed and safety protocols. The steel frame rose at a pace of four and a half floors per week. In addition to its office and observation uses, the building was originally designed with a mooring mast for dirigibles and airships at its pinnacle. Engineers envisioned passengers boarding small dirigibles via a gangway connected to the tower; however, the concept proved impractical due to high winds, air turbulence, and safety concerns, and it was never used commercially.

Construction Timeline:

  • August 1929 – Land purchased at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, formerly the site of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
  • September 1929 – Demolition of Waldorf-Astoria begins.
  • March 17, 1930 – Official groundbreaking; excavation of foundations begins. (source)
  • April 7, 1930 – Steel construction begins, with the frame rising rapidly.
  • September 1930 – Building reaches 50th floor.
  • November 1930 – Building topped out at 86th floor, 1,050 feet.
  • March 1931 – Interior work and installation of elevators completed.
  • April 11, 1931 – Antenna/spire completed, bringing height to 1,454 feet; mooring mast finalized (never used).
  • May 1, 1931 – Official opening ceremony, with President Herbert Hoover turning on the lights via radio from Washington, D.C. (source)

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