A Short History of the Empire State Building

By Brian Raven

Description The Empire State Building is a 102 – story art deco skyscraper in New York City at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 34th Street.

Construction Excavation of the site began on January 22, 1930, and construction on the building itself started on March 17, 1930. The project involved 3400 workers, mostly immigrants from Europe, along with hundreds of mohawk iron workers.

Opening

The building was officially opened on May 1, 1931 in dramatic fashion, when United States President Herbert Hoover turned on the building's lights with the push of a button from Washington, D.C.

HeightThe Empire State Building’s full height reaches 1,453 ft. and has 85 stories. It has an indoor and outdoor observation deck on the 86 th floor. The remaining 16 stories represent the art deco tower, which is capped by a 102 floor observatory.

Observation Deck The Empire State Building has one of the most popular outdoor observatories in the world, having been visited by over 110 million people. The 86th-floor observation deck offers impressive 360-degree views of the city. There is a second observation deck on the 102nd floor that is open to the public. It was closed in 1999, but reopened in November 2005. It is completely enclosed and much smaller than the first one; it may be closed on high-traffic days. Tourists may pay to visit the observation deck on the 86th floor and an additional amount for the 102nd floor. [