12 Facts About Empire State Building

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

2. On June 4, 2002, the Empire State Building donned purple and gold, in thanks for the United Kingdom playing the Star Spangled Banner during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace on September 12, 2001 (a show of support after the September 11 attacks).

3. Empire State Building was originally equipped with white searchlights atop the tower.

4. Empire State Building started undergoing a 10-year renovation in the 2010s to further improve energy efficiency, public areas, and amenities.

5. Empire State Building was the first building to have more than 100 floors.

6. Empire State Building's opening coincided with the Great Depression in the United States, and as a result much of its office space was vacant from its opening.

7. Empire State Building officially opened on May 1, 1931, forty five days ahead of its projected opening date.

8. 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 tower's lines and rise.

9. Empire State Building paid a total of 482 British pounds for the parcel, equivalent to roughly $2,400 at the time, or about £35,714 today.

10. Empire State Building is located on the west side of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, between 33rd and 34th Streets.

11. Empire State Building stood as the world's tallest building for nearly 40 years until the completion of the World Trade Center's North Tower in Lower Manhattan in late 1970.

12. The original design of the Empire State Building was for a 50-story office building.