Empire State Building: the history of the famous tower. Empire State Building: the history of the famous tower How the Empire State Building was built

The most famous skyscraper in New York City is located in Midtown Manhattan at the intersection of - 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 the state of New York (The Empire State). The building was built in 1931 and was the tallest building in the world for 40 years (until New York builders completed the North Tower of 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 American architect William Lamb. The construction of the building began in March 1930, with 3,400 workers working on the construction site daily. The work was completed on May 1, 1931, that is, the building was completed in less than 14 months or 410 days.

The initial cost of the Empire State Building was estimated at 43 million dollars (642 million in 2012 prices), however, due to the economic crisis that broke out - the Great Depression, by 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 originally estimated costs - $ 25 million.

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

However, for several years, the owners of the Empire State Building failed to fill the building with tenants by more than 60%, which was explained by the ongoing Great Depression. In this regard, the building was popularly nicknamed the EMPTY State Building (Empty 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 over 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 business day, making it the second commercial building in America after the Pentagon.

Interesting Facts

After the terrorist attack on 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 e;

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

Over the years of the existence of the Empire State Building, 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 the observation deck of the building but was thrown by a gust of wind one floor below where she was found with a broken hip;

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

Push

The feeling of being at the foot of the Empire State Building is breathtaking. Most striking is the fact that this giant was erected in 410 calendar days! Crazy .. By the way, during my life in Moscow, for 3 years I worked in one fairly well-known development company, our company was engaged in the construction of one of the high-rises of Moscow City. So, for example, the construction of that skyscraper has been underway since 2003, in the courtyard of 2013 - and the building is a quarter not completed.

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 spoil the impression somewhat, but after entering the observation deck, you will completely forget about it! You can get acquainted with the Empire State Building on one of my individual ones.

There are two observation decks - at the level of the 86th floor and at the level of the 102nd floor. 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 platform on the 102nd floor is paid separately (+ $17) - here you can definitely save money, the platform on the top is cramped; the view from it is practically indistinguishable from the view from the 86th floor.

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 towers of the World Trade Center 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 listed as a National Historic Landmark in the United States. In 2007, the building was ranked number one on the American Institute of Architects' list of America's Best Architecture. The building is owned and operated by 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, behind only 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 towards converting the building into a greener, lower energy structure.

The building was built with the money of John Rockefeller Jr. The hall is 30 meters long and 3 floors high, finished with marble and decorated with 8 panels depicting 7 wonders of the world and the eighth is the Empire State Building itself. The Guinness 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. From here you have a stunning view of the city, especially at night, when the whole city sparkles with neon shop windows and colorful lights. A webcam, thanks to which you will have the opportunity to make a virtual trip to the skyscraper and see Manhattan in great detail, is best used in daylight. Illumination of the building is something that you can talk about endlessly. Each day of the week has its own color, holidays and significant dates have special color combinations. A unique spectacle.

CONSTRUCTION HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN NEW YORK

The tower got its name from the everyday name of the US 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 Shreve, Lam and Harmon, and it was built with the money of John D. Rockefeller Jr.

The site where the Empire State Building now stands has been a center of high society since 1860. Then there were two aristocratic houses that belonged to members of the wealthy Astor family. John Jacob Astor III and William Backhouse Astor, Jr. built their houses side by side. William Backhouse's wife Astoria, a famous lady, ruled New York society like a queen. Then she quarreled with her nephew William Waldorf Astor. In the course of the quarrel, he demolished his house and built the Waldorf Hotel in its place. William Backhouse's wife Astor moved to another area for this reason. Her son Jacob then broke down his mother's house and built the Astoria Hotel. Both hotels functioned in the 90s of the XIX century and were known as the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. It was the city's most sophisticated hotel until 1929, when it was demolished to make way for the Empire State Building.

Earthwork on the site began on January 22, 1930, and the construction of the tower itself began on March 17 - St. Patrick's Day. The construction site employed 3,400 workers, mostly European immigrants, as well as several hundred Mohawk steelworkers, many of whom came to the site from the Kahnawake reservation near Montreal. According to official figures, five deaths among workers were recorded during construction.

The construction of the building became part of the high altitude race taking place in New York at the time. The other two projects in this 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. The construction took only 410 days. Approximately four and a half floors were built in a week, and in the most intensive 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 on top of the building was in celebration of Roosevelt's victory over Hoover in the presidential race in November 1932.

At the opening of the building 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 in an era of economic depression. Therefore, far from all the premises were handed over, and the building was called the Empty State Building. It took ten years until all the premises were finally commissioned. The building did not generate income for the owners until 1950. Only in 1951, after the sale to Roger Stevens and his partners for $ 51 million (the record price for those times paid for a single structure), the building ceased to be unprofitable.

At the beginning of the operation of the building, its spire was intended to be used as a mooring mast for airships. The 102nd floor was a docking platform with a gangway for climbing onto the airship. A special elevator running between the 86th and 102nd floors could be used to transport passengers. Registration, as planned, was carried out on the 86th floor. However, the idea of ​​an air terminal was deemed untenable due to safety reasons (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 landed on the building. In 1952, telecommunications equipment was placed on the site of the terminal. Subsequently, the idea was nevertheless virtually implemented in the film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

On July 28, 1945, a US Air Force B-25 "Mitchell" bomber, piloted in thick fog by Lieutenant Colonel William Smith, crashed into the north facade of the building between the 79th and 80th floors. One of the engines broke through the tower and fell on a neighboring building, the other fell into the elevator shaft. The fire that arose as a result of the collision was extinguished after 40 minutes. 14 people died in the incident. Elevator Betty Lou Oliver survived a fall in an elevator from a height of 75 floors - this achievement was included in the Guinness Book. Despite this incident, the building was not closed, and work in most offices did not stop the next business day.

Over the entire period of operation of the building, more than 30 suicides were committed here. The first suicide occurred just after the construction was completed by a recently fired worker. In 1947, a fence was erected around the observation site, as in just three weeks there were 5 suicide attempts here. In 1979, Miss Elvita Adams decided to take her own life and jumped from the 86th floor. But a strong wind threw Miss Adams to the 85th floor, and she escaped with only a broken hip. One of the latest suicides occurred on April 13, 2007, when a lawyer who was failing in his professional activities jumped from the 69th floor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ESPIRER STATE BUILDING IN NEW YORK

ARCHITECTURE. The building has 102 floors, its height is 381.3 meters. Together with the TV tower built in the 1950s, 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 on the 102nd floor. The Empire State Building is the first building in the world to have over 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 is supported by a steel structure weighing 54,400 tons. Ten million bricks and 700 kilometers of cable went into it. The total area of ​​the windows is two hectares, and the area of ​​the foundation is more than 8,000 m². The staircase has 1860 steps, where once a year a competition for the fastest climb is held. Office space can accommodate 15,000 people, and elevators can carry 10,000 people in one hour. The tower has about 1,000 offices and 21,000 employees, making the Empire State Building America's second-most-employed building after the Pentagon. The total length of infrastructure pipes reaches 113 km, the length of electrical wires - 760 km. Heating steam low pressure. Limestone slabs were used for decoration.

Since the skyscraper is surrounded by various business buildings, it is not fully visible from below. It is made in a modest but elegant Art Deco style. Unlike most modern skyscrapers, the facade 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 ledges. The hall inside has a length of 30 meters and a height of three floors. It is decorated with panels depicting the seven wonders of the world, only an eighth is added to them: the Empire State Building itself. The Guinness Hall of Records contains information about unusual records and record holders.

LIGHTING. In 1964, a floodlight system was installed on the tower in order to illuminate the top in a color scheme corresponding to any events, memorable dates or holidays (St. Patrick's Day, Christmas, etc.). For example, after Frank Sinatra's 80th birthday and the 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 Faye Wray on August 8, 2004, the tower's lights were completely turned off for 15 minutes.

Traditionally, in addition to the usual lighting, the building is lit in the colors of the New York sports teams on the days when these teams play in the city (orange, blue and white for the New York Knicks, red, white and blue for the New York Rangers, etc.). During the US Open tennis tournament, the illumination is dominated by yellow (the color of a 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 backlight was purple-gold (the colors of the House of Windsor).

VIEWING POINTS . The observation decks of the Empire State Building are one of the most popular tourist destinations in New York City and one of the most visited observation decks in the world. In total, they were visited by more than 110 million people. The platform on the 86th floor has a 360-degree viewing angle. Another observation deck is open on the 102nd floor. It 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. Due to the large number of visitors, the upper platform is closed on the busiest days. Tourists pay for visiting the observation decks at the box 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, opened in 1994 for tourists. The attraction is called the 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 old version of the attraction ran in which James Doohan, Scotty of Star Trek, as the plane's pilot, humorously tried to maintain control of the plane during a storm. After the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, this attraction was closed. In the new version, the plot remained the same, but the towers of the World Trade Center were removed from the scenery, and Kevin Bacon became the pilot instead of Doohan. The new version pursued primarily not entertaining, but educational and informational goals. It also included patriotic elements.

SPORT. The Empire State Building is not only the tallest building in the city, a landmark of Manhattan and a symbol of American architecture, but also a jogging ground. On February 5, running competitions are held on the stairs of the Empire State Building. Well-trained runners manage to overcome the 1576 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. In addition, competitions are held among firefighters and policemen, who, unlike ordinary runners, must run with full gear.

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN PHOTOS

The largest city in the United States has more than five thousand skyscrapers. Only in New York could an office building become a historical landmark. The guise of the American metropolis is giant skyscrapers, and this building does its job well. The Empire State Building is the unshakable symbol of the Big Apple and one of the most recognizable skyscrapers in the world. If you like to travel and explore unusual architectural heritage, then this building will find something to surprise you with.

Today, the Empire State Building (ESB) is a national monument and a must-see in New York City. More than 130 million people have already visited the observation decks of this building, and this is commensurate with the population of an average country.

Where is the Empire State Building located?

The famous skyscraper adorns Manhattan Island, and its 102 floors are visible for several kilometers. The building is located on Fifth Avenue between West 33rd and 34th streets, 1 km from Times Square. From 1931-1972, the Empire State Building held the title of the tallest building on the planet until the North Tower of the World Trade Center was built. After the terrorist attack in 2001, the skyscraper again ascended the pedestal, but already as the tallest building in New York.

This is interesting. At the beginning of the 21st century, many high-rise buildings appeared in the world, and in America itself, that surpassed the Empire State Building - the Freedom Tower in New York (104 floors), the Royal Clock Tower in Mecca (120 floors), the Shanghai Tower in Shanghai ( 128 floors), Hong Kong International Commerce Center (118 floors). The tallest building at the moment is the Burj Khalifa, which has 163 floors. The skyscraper opened in 2010.

In 1986, the Empire State Building was included in the list of national treasures of the country, and in 2007 the building became the first in the list as the best architectural solution. The building is owned and operated by W&H Properties.

How to get there

You can get to the famous skyscraper by public transport. If you take the subway, you need to take the 34th Street / Herald Square station on the N, Q, R lines. You can get there by bus - M4, M10, M16, M34. Nearby are Times Square, New York Museum of Modern Art, Morgan Library and Museum.

History of creation

In the place where the Empire State Building is now located, John Thompson's farm was located until the 18th century. A spring flowed here, flowing into the Golden Perch Pond - a reservoir and today is located in the area from the high-rise. In the 19th century, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, hosting the social elite of New York, stood here.

At the time of its construction, the building became the first in the world, in which there were over 100 floors, or rather 102. The height of the Empire State Building in New York is 381 m, and with a spire - 443 m. Antennas are installed on the skyscraper, from which television and radio broadcasts are conducted. From the top of the skyscraper, the first experimental television broadcast was conducted on December 22, 1931 - six months after the completion of construction. Today, the spire of the building, as a transmitter, is used by almost all radio and TV channels in the city.

The floodlights that illuminate the Empire State Building with multi-colored lights were recorded back in 1964. The building is painted in honor of holidays and memorable dates - on Presidents' Day, the building glows in red-blue-white colors, on Valentine's Day - red-pink-white, and on St. Patrick's Day - green.

Thousands of tourists visit the building every day. The thing is that there are two observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors. On the first platform you can see the whole of New York, it is more difficult to get to the top floor - the site is smaller and a small number of visitors are allowed there. The skyscraper itself also houses an attraction that simulates flying over the city on the Hudson.

Construction or who became the architect of the Empire State Building

The building was designed by Gregory Johnson and his architectural firm, Shreve, Lamb & Harmon. It was this company that prepared the drawings in a couple of weeks, based on their previous project - the Carew Tower in Cincinnati, Ohio. The plan was created from top to bottom. The main contractors are the Starrett brothers and Eken, and John Raskob financed the construction.

Useful for the tourist:

The preparation of materials began on January 22, 1930, and construction began on St. Patrick's Day - March 17 of the same year. The project involved 3,400 workers, most of whom were immigrants from Europe, as well as Mohawk foundry Indians from the Canawake Reservation near Montreal. The skyscraper received 102 floors, and the total weight of the structure is 365,000 tons. The construction cost was $41 million.

This is interesting. It is believed that the ESB architects, when they met with investors, heard the question: “How tall can a building be built so that it does not fall?”. The builders understood this hint well - the skyscraper had to be called the tallest skyscraper in America, and at the same time in the world.

The construction of a skyscraper became part of the competition - the winner received the right to be called tallest building. Wall Street and the Chrysler Building fought for the title. These structures held the title for less than a year, as ESB beat the competition on day 410 of construction.

Thanks to the popular nickname of the state of New York, the skyscraper of the Imperial State or the Empire State Building got its name. construction built in 13 months, which is very fast for the first half of the 20th century. For comparison, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were built in seven years.

Opening

The official “going out” of the Empire State Building was solemn: President Herbert Hoover pressed a button in Washington and turned on the lights in the building. Ironically, the lamps on the spire of the skyscraper lit up for the first time on the day of Franklin Roosevelt's victory over Hoover in the November 1932 election.

This time was also marked as the Great Depression. The building became known as the Empty House of the Imperial State, as no one rented office space in the ESB. And the whole point was not only in the crisis, but also in an uncomfortable location - the metal structure occupied almost the entire internal area. The offices were cramped and looked like little closets. After the building was reconstructed, creating modern comfortable rooms in it. The legendary skyscraper penultimate hosts Donald Trump and Hideki Yokoi sold for $57.5 million in 2002. The new owner of the skyscraper is Peter Malkin's real estate company, which manages a couple more historic buildings in New York. Today, the Empire State Building's view of the city of the Big Apple is the most magnificent because of the opportunity to see a circular panorama.

Architectural style

At the beginning of the 20th century, steel frames began to be used for the construction of multi-storey buildings, which had previously been used for the construction of bridges and railway stations. In 1930, the Chrysler Building, with a height of 319 m, received the palm as the tallest building in the city. The building overtook the Bank of Manhattan, which reached a height of 282 m. However, Empire State Building in 1931 overtook everyone- towering over New York at 381 m. The total mass of the structure is 365 thousand tons, and the steel structure has a mass of 59 thousand tons. There are 10 million bricks in the walls.

Due to the increase in the length of the shafts and the speed of passenger elevators, the maintenance of the high-rise building has been simplified. The Empire State Building has 62 elevators arranged in groups. But according to the laws of zoning the territory of the city, high-rise buildings must have narrowed upper floors. To better illuminate the streets, architects began to build skyscrapers that were completely different from the Chicago skyscrapers of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The new style of multi-storey buildings combined the motifs of art deco and avant-garde geometricism.

One of the interesting places of the ESB is the spire. The construction has 16 floors, and there is also a dispatcher's hall. The top of the building was going to be used as a pier for airships. The spire received only two airships, and then all were canceled due to the risk of collision. There is also an antenna mast at the top of the structure, which is adorned with illuminations from time to time. Only in the first few years the observation deck on the spire visited by several million people. The annual profit was $ 1 million - a significant amount for the era of the Great Depression.

The width of the Empire State Building depended on ventilation and natural light requirements. Before the installation of powerful air conditioners, the depth of the room from the window to the back wall could not be more than 8.5 m. The building has 6,500 windows connected by vertical steel strips. The outer covering of the walls is made of gray limestone, which is framed with aluminum sheets. The supporting platform has five floors and occupies the entire area of ​​its site. In the center there is a lobby with three floors, and around there are two tiers of shops. Due to the fact that there was no place on the construction site where materials could be folded, they were brought on schedule and immediately lifted up. The construction process was similar to a factory assembly line, which is why it was possible to build a skyscraper in such a short time.

The ESB style is Art Deco created at the International Exhibition of Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925. The style contains motifs of various historical forms - from the culture of Ancient Egypt to the development of the Maya. Art Deco is characterized by the use of new materials - chrome steel, glass and plastic. In their reviews, tourists note that the architecture of the Empire State Building is unusual, since all the most interesting is outside.

Empire State Building inside

But what is inside the famous skyscraper, because the building was not built for tourist purposes? ESB is an ordinary high-rise office building, which during the years of construction was called the Empty State Building (empty - empty). The companies were reluctant to occupy the premises, but this soon changed due to the redesign of the interior. Just 10-15 years ago, small firms were the main tenants of 100 m2 offices. Today, entire floors are occupied by large companies thanks to the colossal reconstruction of the interior halls.

• it is more convenient to climb to the upper floors of the Empire State Building by elevator, but some try to master the stairs of 1860 steps. This could very well be a workout, as once a year the building hosts a competition for the fastest climb. The winner is awarded one million dollars. The office space accommodates 15 thousand people, and the elevator transports 10 thousand passengers in one hour;
• Empire State is not just an office, but entertainment for tourists. In the lobby, 30 meters long and three stories high, there is a giant panel depicting the eight wonders of the world. Naturally, one of them is the Empire State Building itself. There is a Guinness Hall of Records, where information about unusual achievements and record holders is stored;
• On July 28, 1945, the plane crashed into a building. It was a B-25 bomber that flew in between the 79th and 80th floors. The disaster claimed the lives of 11 people;
  more than 35 thousand tourists visit the skyscraper every year, and more than 50 thousand people work in the building itself.

Opening hours

The Empire State Building is open to the public from 8 am to 2 am. The last ascent takes place at 1.15 am. There is an observatory on the 86th floor, from where you can see amazing city panoramas from a height of 320 m. On average, they spend about an hour on the observation decks, but the visit time is not limited in any way.

Ticket prices

Since the opening of the observatory in 1931, more than 110 million people have visited the building. Accordingly, there are long lines in front of the entrance. It is recommended to buy tickets in advance to avoid the string of tourists. There is a standard version of the city pass that allows you to visit the observation platform on the 86th floor and an audio guide. The entrance fee to the site on the 86th floor costs $32, and if the express without queues - $55. You can also visit the 102nd floor for $52 and $75 without waiting.

What to see nearby

If visiting the famous skyscraper is not enough, then you can look at the sights nearby. The list below will help you have a good time:

• . The city on the Hudson is one of the most famous and largest parks in the world. Central Park is located in Manhattan on an area of ​​3.4 km2. 25 million people come here every year. Hotels are located opposite the park, so it is convenient to combine a walk and not break away from your planned activities;
• . The sports complex, which is located on Eighth Avenue. This is a multifunctional building, which is used for more than 300 days a year for various events. It hosts New York Knicks basketball games and New York Rangers hockey tournaments, concerts and performances. During hockey matches, the hall can accommodate 18,200 people, and during concerts, 2,000 visitors;
• . The pride of America, which rises above New York on Liberty Island near Manhattan. For more than 100 years, the symbol of democracy has been meeting and seeing off hundreds of ships in the harbor of the Big Apple. It is an interesting attraction for tourists and a beacon of freedom for Americans;
• . One of the oldest hanging structures in the country, which was the longest in the world until 1903. For the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, steel slings were used for the first time. The main span over the East River is 487 m long, and the total length is almost 2 km.

New York is built up with metal giants that turn into symbols of the city. The attractions of the city on the Hudson skillfully combine historical art forms and modern technologies. The Empire State Building is a must-see, as it says in every tourist brochure. Do you consider the skyscraper to be a real landmark of New York?

The building was designed by Shreve, Lam & Harmon Architects. 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 stripes of stainless steel. The hall inside has a length of 30 meters and a height of three floors. It is decorated with panels depicting the seven wonders of the world, and the 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 a new building grew by 14 floors. 5662 cubic meters of limestone and granite were used for the construction of the outer walls. In total, the builders used 60 thousand tons of steel structures, 10 million bricks and 700 km of cable. The building has 6500 windows. Its design is such that the main load is borne by the steel frame, and not by the walls. He transfers this load directly to the most powerful "two-story" foundation. Thanks to the innovation, the weight of the building has significantly decreased and amounted to 365 thousand tons.

By the time construction was completed, the height of the building was 381 m (after a 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 then President of the country, Herbert Hoover, opened the Empire State Building: by flicking a switch from Washington, he lit the lights of the highest man-made structure in the world at that time.

The Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world for over 40 years. The skyscraper lost this title only after the construction in 1972 of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The tragic death of the twin towers during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack returned the status of the tallest building in New York to the Empire State Building, although the skyscraper could no longer claim world leadership.

The Empire State Building occupies about one hectare of land on Manhattan Island, at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 34th Street. The building houses offices of 640 companies employing about 50,000 people.

The skyscraper is a landmark of Manhattan and New York. The famous skyscraper is visited by thousands of tourists every day. On a high-speed elevator in one minute 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 is a glazed circular observatory. From a height of 381 m, a panorama of five states opens up.

The landmark of New York is not only the skyscraper itself, but also its unique lighting system. The tradition of lighting the Empire State Building with different colors on various holidays has been around for a long time. So, on US Independence Day, the skyscraper becomes 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 spotlights illuminating the 30 upper floors.

Even before the TV 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 festive illumination of the city. The architects designed the roof structure in such a way that it served as a pier for passenger airships, which in the 30s. of the last century, they were a fashionable vehicle and successfully competed with the not yet very reliable passenger aircraft. The 102nd floor was a docking platform with a gangway for climbing onto the airship. A special elevator running between the 86th and 102nd floors could be used to transport passengers, whose check-in was to be made on the 86th floor. In reality, not a single airship on the roof of the Empire State Building has ever docked. The idea of ​​an air terminal turned out to be unsafe - the strong and unstable air currents at the top of the 381-meter building made berthing very difficult. And soon the airships, in principle, ceased to be used as a vehicle.

On the second floor of the building there is an attraction, opened in 1994 for tourists. The attraction is called the New York Skyride and is a simulator of air travel over the city. The duration of the attraction is 25 minutes. An old version of the ride ran from 1994 to 2001, in which Star Trek actor James Doohan, Scotty, as an airplane pilot, humorously tried to maintain control of a plane during a storm. After the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, this attraction was closed. In the new version, the plot remained the same, but the towers of the World Trade Center were removed from the scenery, and actor Kevin Bacon became the pilot instead of Doohan. The new version pursued, first of all, not entertaining, but educational and informational goals. It also included patriotic elements.

In terms of the number of films in which the Empire State Building was shot, the building can compete with leading movie stars. It all started with "King Kong" filmed in 1933, where the final battle of a huge gorilla with US 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, has 91 films.

Among other things, the Empire State Building is also the venue for one of the most unusual competitions. It hosts a skyscraper stair running competition in early February every year. Athletes overcome 1576 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.

During its almost 80-year history, the Empire State Building has experienced a significant number of different incidents. On July 28, 1945, a US Air Force B-25 Mitchell bomber, lost in dense fog, crashed into a building between the 79th and 80th floors. One of the engines broke through the skyscraper and fell on the roof of a neighboring building, the other fell into the elevator shaft. The fire that resulted from the collision was extinguished after 40 minutes. 14 people died in the incident. Elevator Betty Lou Oliver survived a fall in an elevator from a height of 75 floors - this achievement hit the Guinness Book of Records.

There were fires after that. So, in August 1988, a fire started on the 86th floor, and the fire reached the very top of the skyscraper. Luckily, there were no casualties then. In 1990, a fire broke out again, which 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 went up 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 those who want to commit suicide. During the entire period of operation of the building, more than 30 suicides were committed here. The first suicide occurred just after the construction was completed by a recently fired 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 here. 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 on the basis of information from open sources

The Empire State Building is one of the most famous skyscrapers, known not only in but throughout the world. It is on a par with such famous buildings as the pyramid of Cheops and. This building was and remains a symbol of the brilliant New York. Forty years ago, the Empire State was the tallest building in the world, but it still impresses with its size. On the wall of a huge marble-decorated hall, the Empire State Building skyscraper is presented as the eighth wonder of the world.

Features Empire State Building

The 102-story Empire State Building is located on Fifth Avenue. It was built 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 refined. The upper floors are built somewhat deeper in relation to the general line of the facade. The building was built in a modest but elegant Art Deco style. Strips of stainless steel stretch upward along the gray stone façade, 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 whole building as a whole - it is so big. The dimensions of the building are really 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, it is best to move around the floors with the help of elevators, but there are eccentrics who prefer to climb the stairs to the very last floor, which has 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. Office space can accommodate 15,000 people, and elevators can carry 10,000 passengers in one hour.

The Empire State is not only the center of offices, but also a real entertainment for tourists. Inside the hall, which has a length of 30 meters and a height of three floors, there is a huge panel with images of eight, one of which is the Empire State Building itself. The Guinness Hall of Records 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, which are enough here, only further emphasize the respectability of this area.

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

The modern Empire State Building was built on the site where, since 1860, there was a center for the local aristocracy. Then there were two noble houses that belonged to members of the wealthy Astor family. Subsequently, the Waldorf and Astoria hotels were built here. These two hotels functioned in the 90s of the XIX century. Both hotels were demolished in 1929 to clear the site for the Empire State Building.

The building was erected 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 the construction. Construction was led by John Jacob Raskob (founder of General Motors). The project was completed by the architectural firm Shreve, Lam & Harmon.

The building was built simply with unheard of speed. A little more than a year and a half, 38 teams of builders (5 people each) assembled the frame of a skyscraper from a huge number of metal beams, which were delivered to the construction site along a specially built road. The construction was very difficult and risky: every day the 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 every week, and in the most intensive period, 14 floors were erected 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. Then the building was even nicknamed the "Empty State Building" (Empty State Building). It took ten years until all the premises were finally commissioned.

At first, the creators of the skyscraper planned to build a flat roof in order to arrange a platform for airships here. But later this idea was abandoned: the site was an expensive pleasure, and the airships came out and fashion. In 1950, it was decided to build on the skyscraper: a small TV tower was installed on the roof, 447 meters high.

The name of the Empire State Building skyscraper comes from the words "building", 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 as it turned out to be very attractive for suicides. The first suicide occurred in 1933, only 3 years after the discovery. 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 the damage amounted to one million dollars. Then they began to say that the Empire State Building skyscraper was almost a diabolical invention. True, successful businessmen called all this 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 given National Landmark status. 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 more than a decade, the Empire State Building has been considered a symbol of New York and the entire American state.