36 Facts About Empire State Building

The design for the Empire State Building was changed fifteen times until it was ensured to be the world's tallest building.

Empire State Building is located on the west side of Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, between 33rd Street to the south and 34th Street to the north.

Areas surrounding the Empire State Building are home to other major points of interest, including Macy's at Herald Square on Sixth Avenue and 34th Street, and Koreatown on 32nd Street between Madison and Sixth Avenues.

Empire State Building was designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon in the Art Deco style.

Empire State Building has been named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

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Empire State Building has a symmetrical massing because of its large lot and relatively short base.

Empire State Building was originally equipped with white searchlights at the top.

The relative dearth of stone in the Empire State Building allows for more space overall, with a 1:200 stone-to-building ratio compared to a 1:50 ratio in similar buildings.

Empire State Building has 73 elevators in all, including service elevators.

Placement of the stations in the Empire State Building became a major issue with the construction of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in the late 1960s, and early 1970s.

The greater height of the Twin Towers would reflect radio waves broadcast from the Empire State Building, eventually resulting in some broadcasters relocating to the newer towers instead of suing the developer, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Empire State Inc contracted William F Lamb, of architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, to create the building design.

Empire State Building had been inspired by Raymond Hood's design for the Daily News Building, which was being constructed at the same time.

The Empire State Building was to be a typical office building, but Raskob intended to build it "better and in a bigger way", according to architectural writer Donald J Reynolds.

The Chrysler Empire State Building added its 185-foot steel tip to its roof in October 1929, thus bringing it to a height of 1,046 feet and greatly exceeding the height of 40 Wall Street.

Raskob, wishing to have the Empire State Building be the world's tallest, reviewed the plans and had five floors added as well as a spire; however, the new floors would need to be set back because of projected wind pressure on the extension.

Empire State Building described the reflective steel panels parallel to the windows, the large-block Indiana Limestone facade that was slightly more expensive than smaller bricks, and the building's vertical lines.

Empire State Building officially opened on May 1,1931, forty-five days ahead of its projected opening date, and eighteen months from the start of construction.

In 1932, the Fifth Avenue Association gave the building its 1931 "gold medal" for architectural excellence, signifying that the Empire State had been the best-designed building on Fifth Avenue to open in 1931.

The office space was less successful, as the Empire State Building's opening had coincided with the Great Depression in the United States.

Per the original plans, the Empire State Building's spire was intended to be an airship docking station.

In 1970, the Empire State surrendered its position as the world's tallest building, when the World Trade Center's still-under-construction North Tower surpassed it, on October 19; the North Tower was topped out on December 23,1970.

The Empire State Building was still seen as prestigious, having seen its forty-millionth visitor in March 1971.

The Empire State Building celebrated its 50th anniversary on May 1,1981, with a much-publicized, but poorly received, laser light show, as well as an "Empire State Building Week" that ran through to May 8.

The Empire State Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places the following year due to its architectural significance.

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Empire State Building sued Empire State Building Associates in February 1995, claiming that the latter had caused the building to become a "high-rise slum" and a "second-rate, rodent-infested" office tower.

Trump had intended to have Empire State Building Associates evicted for violating the terms of their lease, but was denied.

The Empire State Building won the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold for Existing Buildings rating in September 2011, as well as the World Federation of Great Towers' Excellence in Environment Award for 2010.

Renovation of the Empire State Building was commenced in the 2010s to further improve energy efficiency, public areas, and amenities.

The Empire State Building was the tallest human-made structure in the world before it was surpassed by the Griffin Television Tower Oklahoma in 1954, and the tallest freestanding structure in the world until the completion of the Ostankino Tower in 1967.

The Empire State Building remained the tallest building in New York until the new One World Trade Center reached a greater height in April 2012.

Empire State Building landed and died on the roof of the 86th floor observation promenade.

Empire State Building killed one person and wounded six others before committing suicide.

In 2013, Time magazine noted that the Empire State Building "seems to completely embody the city it has become synonymous with".

Empire State Building has been hailed as an example of a "wonder of the world" due to the massive effort expended during construction.

The Empire State Building became the standard of reference to describe the height and length of other structures globally, both natural and human-made.