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The Empire State Building is a 102-story contemporary Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City, USA, declared by the American Society of Civil Engineers to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, it was finished in 1931. The tower takes its name from the nickname of New York State.
Unlike most of today's high-rise buildings, the Empire State has a classic façade. The building's distinctive art deco spire was originally designed to be a mooring mast and depot for zeppelins. However, after a couple of test attempts with airships, the idea proved to be impractical and dangerous due to the powerful updrafts caused by the size of the building itself, though the T-shaped mooring devices remain in place.
There are various "setbacks" in the building's design, as required by the New York City's Zoning Resolution of 1916 (aimed at, among other things, reducing shadows cast by tall buildings). These setbacks give the building its unique tapered silhouette.
The lobby is three stories high and contains an aluminum relief of the skyscraper (lacking the later added antenna). The north corridor contains eight illuminated panels, created by Roy Sparkia and Renée Nemorov in 1963, depicting the building as the Eighth Wonder of the World alongside the traditional seven.
The building has one of the most popular outdoor observatories in the world, having been visited by over 110 million people. This 86th floor observatory offers impressive 360-degree views of the city.
Long-term forecasting of the life cycle of the structure was implemented at the design phase to ensure that the building's future intended uses were not restricted by the requirements of future generations. This is particularly evident in the over-design of the building's electrical system.
There is also an observation deck on the 102nd floor that is open to the public. It was closed in 1999, but reopened in November of 2005, and remains open as of November 2006.
The tower rises to 1,250 feet (381 m) at the 102nd floor, and its full structural height (including broadcast antenna) reaches 1,453 feet and 8 9/16th inches (443 m). It was the first building to have more than 100 floors.
It remained the tallest skyscraper in the world for a record 41 years (and the world's tallest man-made structure for 23 years) until the construction of the World Trade Center, and shortly afterwards the Sears Tower. Following the events of September 11, 2001, the Empire State Building regained the title of tallest building in New York City, and the 2nd tallest building in the United States.
The building weighs approximately 330,000 metric tonnes. The building has 6,500 windows, 73 elevators and 1,860 steps to the top floor. Total floor area: 2,200,000 square feet (200,000 m²)
The Empire State Building is located at 350 Fifth Avenue, ZIP Code 10118, between 33rd and 34th Streets, in Midtown Manhattan, at approximately . It is directly across from Weehawken Cove, on the other side of the Hudson River.
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