home · Montenegro · Empire State Building: the history of the famous tower. The legendary skyscraper Empire State Building - its history and interesting facts When the Empire State Building was built

Empire State Building: the history of the famous tower. The legendary skyscraper Empire State Building - its history and interesting facts When 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 (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 total cost of the building by the end of construction amounted to a little more than half of the originally expected costs - $ 25 million.

During the first year of operation of the Empire State Building, its observation deck brought in an income of $ 2 million to the owners, 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;

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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.

To date, the famous skyscraper Empire State Building (Empire State Building) has again become the tallest building, ranking fifteenth in height in the world and third in height.

The first decades of the last century for New York became a period of a kind of competition between skyscraper builders - who will build higher. In 1913, the Woolworth Building, which had 57 floors, made a splash. For 17 years it was the highest. In 1930, it was briefly overtaken by a 70-story skyscraper along Wall Street, house number 40, and then by the seventy-seven-story office of the automobile giant Chrysler.

The main task that was set for the builders of the Empire State Building was to surpass in height all the buildings that existed at that time.

William Lamb was appointed the head of the design of this skyscraper. This architect was no stranger to such matters, having previously successfully designed the Carew Tower in Cincinnati and the Reynolds Building in North Carolina. The construction was financed by businessman John Raskob, as well as Pierre Dupont, the owner of the giant DuPont chemical concern and General Motors, the leading US automobile corporation.

The building was to be located on the site of the obsolete old Waldorf Astoria Hotel, at the intersection of West 34th Street and busy Fifth Avenue. Preparation for construction and digging of a foundation pit for the foundation of the tallest building in New York began in January 1930, and, in fact, construction began on March 17 of the same year, being timed to coincide with one of the most popular American holidays - St. Patrick's Day.

The Empire State Building was built by more than 4,000 workers, mostly newcomers to the United States from a number of European countries. Also, together with them, representatives of the Mohawk Indians (or “Mohawks”), who traditionally do not experience fear of heights, worked as high-altitude fitters. Construction work on the construction of a skyscraper was distinguished by a rather high industrial injury rate. Five accidents ended in death.

The Empire State Building was built very quickly, it took only 1 year and a month and a half to complete it. The building was commissioned on May 1, 1931. Construction cost 40 million dollars (in the prices of the 31st year).

One of the most remarkable moments was the fact that the Empire State Building became the first skyscraper in history with more than a hundred floors. Together with the spire, it is 443 meters high (381 meters without the spire), it has one hundred and two floors. For forty-one years it was the tallest building not only in America, but in the whole world. In 1972, it was overtaken in height by the towers of the World Trade Center. However, the tragic events of September 2001, connected with the terrorist attack on these towers, returned the Empire State Building to the first position in New York.

The skyscraper has 6,500 windows with an area of ​​more than two hectares, the total area of ​​the building's premises is about 250,000 square meters. Employees working in the building and visitors can use 73 elevators.

The architectural style to which the Empire State Building belongs is Art Deco. This style was very characteristic of the USA in the 30s, especially for high-rise buildings. The name of the skyscraper comes from the playful nickname "Empire State" ("Empire State"), given by the Americans to the state of New York.

Basically, the Empire State Building is occupied by office space (85 floors). Floors 86 and 102 are specially designed for tourists, there are platforms for viewing the city. The building has a special category in the US postal classification, it is even assigned a separate postal zip code.

The total number of employees in the Empire State Building (Empire State Building) - more than twenty thousand. Of all the office buildings in the United States in terms of usable space, it holds the second place, second only to the Pentagon.

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The Empire State Building has become a real miracle of technology and architecture of its period. For the first time in the history of construction, a building exceeded 1,000 feet in height, which was as important to the construction industry as breaking the sound barrier in aviation history. Its construction occupies a unique place in the history of construction, not only because the 103-story building was built in one year and 45 days. The construction company undertook the construction of a skyscraper, not having the required equipment and materials necessary for its construction. The rapid implementation of the project was a good example of successful construction management and demonstrated impressive achievements in the field of high-rise construction.

The iconic office building, the Empire State Building, is often referred to as "the most famous skyscraper in the world." Conceived in the 1920s, when the American and global economies were booming, the skyscraper was to be New York's largest and most prestigious office building. Since its completion, the Empire State Building has attracted the attention of all of America. It retained the status of the tallest building in the world until 1972. Despite the loss of its former status as the tallest building, it remains a symbol of New York to this day, receiving 3.5 million tourists annually. The image of the popular skyscraper constantly appears in advertisements and movies (everyone remembers King Kong climbing to the top), not to mention countless souvenirs, postcards, toys, etc. reflecting the image of the famous building.

Why is the Empire State Building getting so much attention? Officially opened on May 1, 1931, it has become not only the tallest building in the world, but also a symbol of man's attempts in the 20th century to achieve the impossible. No other building in the world reflected such a passionate desire of man to build a building that would stretch so high into the sky. How was this giant skyscraper built?

It all started with the boom in high-rise construction in New York at that time. The construction of the Eiffel Tower in 1889 in Paris challenged American architects to build something grander. In 1909, the Metropolitan Life Tower was built with a height of 50 floors (213 m). It, in turn, was quickly surpassed by the Woolworth House (1913, 57 floors, 241 m), then the palm passed to the Bank of Manhattan (1929, 71 floors, 283 m).

When General Motors CFO John Raskob decided to start his own high-rise project, Walter Chrysler was building the gigantic Chrysler Building, whose height was kept secret until it was completed. Not knowing exactly what height to surpass, Raskob set about building the Empire State Building. But was this project tall enough to make the Empire State Building the tallest building in the world? Hamilton Weber, a commercial real estate manager, describes his concern: "We thought the building would be the tallest at 80 stories. When the Chrysler Building went even higher, we also raised the Empire State Building to 85 stories, only four feet taller than the Chrysler. Raskob was very worried that Walter Chrysler might do something tricky, like hide a rod in the spire and raise it at the last minute."

The high-rise construction race was gaining momentum right before our eyes. Thinking about how to make the Empire State Building the tallest building in the world, Raskob said: "He needs a hat!" A new project along with a "hat", i.e. spire, will make the 443 m high building inaccessible to competitors for more than 40 years (the height of the Chrysler Building with the spire was 319 m). After the completion of the towers of the World Trade Center in 1972, the Empire State Building lost this status. Today it is again the tallest building in New York, a sad reminder of the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

Construction history of the Empire State Building

The site where the Empire State Building stands was once occupied by luxurious mansions. Later, the legendary Waldorf Astoria, the largest and most prestigious hotel in New York with 1,050 rooms, was built in their place. In 1929, Waldorf-Astoria, along with the adjacent plot of land, was purchased by John Raskob and his partners for $15 million. Demolition of the hotel began immediately to build a high-rise office center.

In those days, new technologies made it possible to actively develop the construction of commercial real estate. The metal frame structure made it possible to carry out high-rise construction. The invention of the elevator made it possible to comfortably and quickly go up to the upper floors - no one would rent an office on the 20th floor if the workers climbed the stairs. In 1930, the construction of the Chrysler Building was completed - the tallest skyscraper in the world with a height of 282 meters (319 with a spire).

Raskob turned to one of the best high-rise building companies, Shreve, Lem and Harmon. The project was quickly designed by architect William Lam. He designed a functional building with some decorative effects. The interior of the hall is made in the Art Deco style characteristic of that time. Art Deco was a trend in the decorative arts of the first half of the 20th century with an emphasis on luxury, chic, expensive and modern materials. The developers sought to create a building that stood out from the rest. One way was to create a building with four facades facing the street instead of one, as in most houses. The highlight of the project was the spire installed on the roof, which stood out against the background of the overall structure of the skyscraper.

On March 17, 1931, construction began on the Empire State Building. At that time, New York was often called the imperial state, hence the name (in translation, The Empire State Building meant “Imperial State Building”). The implementation of the project was a risky undertaking, since there was no guarantee that the office space of such a huge building would be in demand by landlords. John Raskob confidently believed that once the world's largest office building was completed, tenants would be queuing for him. He did not want to waste time and took no more than a year and a half for the construction of a skyscraper, including its design.

The Empire State Building was the first commercial project to use the rapid building technique, a method commonly known today, pioneered in the early 20th century. Contractors have created a number of innovations that have saved time, money and effort. The construction of the skyscraper became a model of high efficiency in the organization of construction, based on the principles of conveyor assembly and division of labor. All steel profiles were prefabricated at the factory, then transported to the construction site. The profiles were made with high precision, the error did not exceed 2 mm, they were fastened in place with bolts or rivets without any problems. It took no more than 3 days from the moment the profiles were made, transported and installed in the frame of the skyscraper. As soon as the metal frame was mounted, it was covered with bricks.

A narrow track was laid at the construction site for the rapid transport of building materials. Each trolley carried 8 times more cargo than a traditional wheelbarrow, with much less effort.

In those days, bricks for construction were usually unloaded on the street, and then, as needed, they were lifted to the masons with the help of a wheelbarrow. The method is very exhausting and inefficient. Of the ten million bricks required to build such a gigantic skyscraper, the traditional method was time consuming. Instead, the bricks were loaded into a bunker and lifted to the desired floor with the help of mechanical devices. Saving time and labor was obvious.

Every day, 3,500 workers worked at the construction site, assembling steel beams at high altitude. The project was considered fairly safe for the era and degree of difficulty, with only 5 workers dying. Through rational design and standardized operations—similar to an assembly line—the building grew at an average of four and a half stories per week, faster than any other skyscraper at the time.

When the builders installed the spire on top of the skyscraper, then-New York State Governor Al Smith assured that it would not only serve as a decorative function, but also become a mooring mast for airships. It was assumed that airships and balloons would deliver passengers and cargo to the top of the skyscraper. There was even a customs control in the building to check visitors and imported luggage.

How did it all happen in reality? The small airship was indeed able to be tied to the mast for three minutes after a half-hour attempt. And then it became clear to everyone that the wind regime in New York is clearly unfavorable for the safe mooring of airships. Mooring the aircraft at the top of the mast of the Empire State Building proved to be a bad idea and was quickly forgotten. The spire found a better use as an antenna for radio and television. And the observation deck has served as a place for filming many films and receiving tourists.

Empire State Building: The Eighth Wonder of the World

Since the construction of the Empire State Building was completed, it has broken all records imaginable at that time and has been called the "Eighth Wonder of the World". The height of the skyscraper was 381 meters, the height with the spire was 448 meters, the building had 64 elevators (now 73).

The construction of the project was completed ahead of schedule. Instead of 18 months, as expected, construction was completed on April 11, 1931, a year and 45 days later. One of the reasons for the rapid completion was the desire of their owners to rent out office space as quickly as possible. As a result of reduced construction costs, the final cost was almost $41 million (instead of the planned $50 million).

Empire State Building elevators

Have you ever had to queue for an elevator in a 9 or 16 story building? Have you ever had to spend a lot of time when the elevator stopped at each floor and people got off or got on? The Empire State Building had 102 floors and was planned to house 15,000 workers and employees. How do you get people to use the elevator without having to wait for hours, or is the only way out was to take the stairs?

To solve this problem, the designers created seven elevator groups, each of which served only a part of the floors. For example, elevator group A served only from floors 5 to 25, and elevator group B served from 25 to 45. That is, not a single elevator went up or down from floors 1 to 102, with a huge number of possible stops.

Building fast elevators was another challenge. The elevator company Otis installed 58 passenger and 8 freight elevators in the skyscraper. They could move at a speed of 366 meters per minute, but outdated building codes limited their speed to 213 meters per minute. The Empire State Building installed new modern elevators that moved at a slower speed. A month after the opening, building codes were revised and the movement of elevators was accelerated.

Incidents at the Empire State Building

The World Trade Center towers were not the first skyscrapers to be hit by an aircraft. In 1945, the Empire State Building withstood the impact of a collision with a US military aircraft B-25 bomber at the level of the 79th floor. The 102-story building swayed, but the steel structure withstood the impact of the aircraft. As a result of the collision, fuel flared up, engulfing the 79th floor in flames, but the fire was quickly extinguished. The accident was attributed to pilot error, World War II veteran William F. Smith, whose last words were "At the moment I can't see the top of the Empire State Building." A total of 14 people died.

During the accident, an amazing adventure happened: Betty Lou Oliver fell in the elevator down from a height of 75 floors (the ropes of the elevator broke as a result of a collision with an airplane). The woman survived and returned to normal life after 5 months of treatment. Her survival after such a fall remains a world record.

Great Depression

The Empire State Building was one of the last skyscrapers built in New York before the Great Depression hit the real estate market. After 1933 - except for the construction of Rockefeller Center in 1939 - not a single high-rise skyscraper was built in the city for almost two decades. As a consequence, the Empire State Building held the title of tallest building in the world for over 40 years. But the Great Depression also caused a collapse in demand for office space. The owners were so bad at renting office space that the building became known as the "Empty State Building" (Empty State Building), and its owners were on the verge of bankruptcy. Even a PR campaign like the use of a skyscraper in the popular movie King Kong failed to significantly change the situation. The low demand for the Empire State Building's office space was due in part to its poor location, far from a public transportation route. Other more successful skyscrapers, such as the Chrysler Building, did not have these problems. In its first year of operation, the observation deck brought in approximately $ 2 million in profit, the same amount its owners earned from rent. But the booming economy after World War II eventually turned the Empire State Building into one of New York City's most profitable office spaces, with occupancy rates consistently above 95 percent. Representative offices of the most famous and largest companies from all over the world are located here. Now the skyscraper remains one of the most prestigious office buildings on the planet.

Tourism

Since its completion, the Empire State Building has quickly become a New York City tourist attraction. During this period, almost 110 million visitors watched the cityscapes of New York from the observation deck of the skyscraper. The Empire State Building has been reflected in popular culture, movies, in the most famous of them - King Kong - a giant monkey runs away from persecution to the top of a skyscraper. In all, the Empire State Building has been the setting for more than 50 films.

Every year, 3,500,000 million tourists climb the 86th floor platform. Anyone 365 days a year, day and night, in weather and bad weather, can rise and see the cityscape of Manhattan and its surrounding areas. Restaurants, a sushi bar, cafes, pharmacies, a souvenir shop, banks, a post office are open here.

Over the past eight decades, architects and engineers have designed and built more modern and energy-efficient high-rise buildings. But none of them can compare with the Empire State Building in New York. This skyscraper is not just an outstanding tourist attraction. This is part of the history of New York, the embodiment of the energy and spirit of the city. It has become not only an iconic building of the 20th century, but also an unsurpassed symbol of American enterprise and Art Deco architecture.

1. The construction of the Empire State Building took only 1 year and 45 days. The construction process was sped up by ESB's participation in a skyscraper construction race.

2. Much less money was spent than planned. The construction cost nearly $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 free.

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

5. Rumor has it that the spire of the building was intended for tying 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 bolts a 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 a film about King Kong. Filming took place two years after its opening.

10. Many of the workers, or as they were also called, "skywalkers", 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 run up the stairs to the very top (1536 steps up to the 86th floor). The fastest time, at the time of this writing, was 9 minutes and 33 seconds by Paul Craik of Australia.

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

14. Very strong static electricity is generated at the top of the Empire State Building. Try to kiss your soul mate and between the lips you will feel the current)

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

If you are 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:

In the 30s of the 20th century, the Empire State Building in New York was considered the eighth wonder of the world, but even now it is difficult for architects to come up with something new that can hit the world in the same way. This building was considered the tallest in the world for 40 years. We will tell you about unique facts - for example, there is a person who, after visiting the Empire State Building and the tragic event that happened there, got into the Guinness Book of Records. You will also find out how incredibly many days the business center was built and what floor you need to climb to see the city from a bird's eye view.

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The high-rise began to be built in those days when skyscrapers were erected on the same place and other investors who wanted their houses to be recognized as the height of perfection. Note that this was the time of the Great Depression, when famine reigned in the country. Businessmen, however, staged a competition: just then, other grandiose buildings appeared - 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building.

But the imperial building turned out to be the winner not only in terms of height, but also in terms of construction time: the building was built in just 410 days - it grew by 4.5 floors every week. During the construction of the tower, there was such a moment: the building was built on 14 floors in just 10 days. The height of the Empire State Building is 381 m, and if we keep in mind the antenna towering above it, it is 443.2 m.

At the same time, investors - businessmen John Raskob and Pierre du Pont - spent 2 times less money than planned: they were ready to shell out $43 million (now this amount would be about $500 million), but in the end they managed to meet $24.7 million (about $370 million at the moment).

Millionaires found an architect in the office of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon: a project - in just 2 weeks - was developed by a certain William F. Lamb. According to rumors, he was egged on by other employees of the architectural bureau, offering to design the tallest building that would not fall after the completion of construction work. Labm distinguished himself - the house he invented did not fall even after the invasion of King Kong and other events.

The construction was completed on May 1, 1931, but before everyone the house appeared in all its glory in November 1932 - to commemorate the victory in the presidential election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The building sparkled: then, for the first time, lighting was used to decorate houses, which is now used in all the big cities of the world.

The Empire State Building is primarily a business center. About 1,000 companies are located here, employing more than 20,000 people. To have a room in this building now is the best recommendation for a businessman, although it used to cause ridicule (it was called empty - Empty State Building).

The building has 102 floors, the total area of ​​all premises in it is approximately 257 thousand square meters, it has 6500 windows. According to the people who climbed to the very top, the path takes 1860 steps. The observation deck, from which the whole city is visible, is located on the 86th floor. From this height, all areas of the city are perfectly visible - with its parks, bridges, strolling tourists and yellow taxis. The most impressive sight, breathtaking literally for everyone, is observed after sunset: the illuminated streets viewed from a height in the evening resemble the Milky Way.

The antennas of all TV companies in the country are placed on the roof of the building. The architects, when creating their project, also thought that aircraft could land here (at that time they were airships) - they planned to create a mooring platform between the 86th and 102nd floors. This project was not destined to come true: the airships never landed on the roof of the Empire State Building. The reason for this was strong air currents at the height of the building - they demolished all objects approaching them. However, people abandoned airships as a means of transport very soon.

Empire State Building at the movies

The most famous building in New York has repeatedly come to the attention of filmmakers. The most famous shots are, of course, in the film about King Kong, filmed in 1933. The Empire State Building appears in more than 90 films. But this building also got a bad reputation: it was very popular with suicides. More than 30 people have jumped from the observation deck of the tower on the 86th floor during its existence.

Fortunately, not all attempts ended in tragedy: for example, one of the potential suicides after a fatal jump received only a hip fracture. This happened in 1979: a 29-year-old girl who jumped off the observation deck was thrown by a gust of wind onto a ledge on the 85th floor. From there, she was removed by the building's security guards, who then called an ambulance.

The skyscraper survived the plane's impact (unlike the twin towers that collapsed on 11/11/01). In 1945, a B-25 bomber crashed into it. He hit the span between the 79th and 80th floors. Then 14 people died, but many more were saved. One of the lucky ones even got into the Guinness Book of Records: the man survived after the fall of the elevator, which was at the time of the disaster on the 75th floor.

Observation deck on the 86th floor

Those wishing to enjoy the views of New York will be delivered to the observation deck of the building (86th floor) by 73 elevators. On the 80th floor (the journey will take no more than a minute) there is a souvenir shop. After inspecting and buying souvenirs, as well as telling employees about how the building was built, tourists go to another elevator to climb to the very top (this can also be done on foot - up the stairs).

Note that the way there by high-speed elevator takes only one minute, and you can always go up here: the site is open from 08.00 to 02.00 daily. You will have to pay an entrance fee - $ 19, a children's ticket costs $ 14. After that, a panorama of five states opens up before tourists at once.

The building is also distinguished by a unique lighting system: it changes depending on the holidays. On Independence Day, the color of the building resembles the American flag - it turns blue-red-white; on a holiday celebrated by all the Irish - St. Patrick's Day - the skyscraper is painted green, and on Columbus Day - green-white-red.