A trip to New York City will be incomplete if you don’t visit the Empire State Building located in the heart of Manhattan, New York.
The Empire State Building offers stunning views of New York City from its observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors.
You can experience its magic any day as it opens all days of the year.
The current opening hours at the Empire State Building are between 10 am to 10 pm.
The opening and closing hours keep changing depending on the month and season.
More than 4 Million people visit the Empire State Building every year.
Check some of the best Empire State Building facts –
Many movies have featured Empire State
Ever since the Empire State Building was inaugurated in 1931, it has been a top-rated Hollywood movie destination.
The most famous cultural representation of this building was in King Kong (1933), in which the lead character climbs to the top of the building.
For this film’s 15th anniversary, a massive 90-foot tall inflatable King Kong was placed on the building mast above the observation deck by the artist Robert Vicino.
As a result, today, one of the exhibits inside the Empire State Building has been dedicated to King Kong.
Hollywood has featured the ESB in more than 250 movies to date.
Some of the most popular movies featuring the Empire State Building are An Affair to Remember, Sleepless in Seattle, The Amazing Spider-Man, Elf, Oblivion, etc.
Many celebrities have enjoyed ESB’s city view
The Empire State Building has proudly rolled out the red carpet to numerous celebrities.
You can search for your favorite celebrity, and you are sure to find them snapped on the observation deck.
Some eminent personalities who have been to the Empire State Building are Emma Watson, Ariana Grande, Bear Grylls, the cast of “The Simpsons,” Freida Pinto, Hilary Duff, etc.
This building is also the office space for some of the finest brands in the world.
Some famous Empire State tenants are LinkedIn, Shutterstock, Bulova, HNTB, Media General Digital, Global Brands Group, Skanska, etc.
Empire State Building was built really fast
The construction of the Empire State Building started in 1930 when the US faced the worst economic depression.
The building rose fast, at the rate of four and a half stories per week, and the construction was over in just 13 months.
It was inaugurated forty-five days ahead of its projected opening date.
The engineers used 200,000 cubic feet of Indiana Limestone to build the Empire State Building.
A hotel was demolished to build Empire State Building
In the 18th century, the land on which Empire State Building stands was farmland owned by John Thompson.
In the 1890s, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel was constructed on the same land.
The hotel was a major hit. However, after 30 years, when even better hotels opened up in New York, they decided to change their location.
In 1929, the hotel was demolished, and the iconic Empire State Building was built.
Two buildings inspired the design of ESB
The Art Deco Empire State Building is the world’s most famous building. It was built by architects Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon Associates.
They were inspired by two Art Deco buildings – the Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the Carew Tower in Cincinnati.
That is why these buildings are also known as the Empire State’s architectural ancestors.
Planning to visit the world’s most famous building? Find out the best time to visit the Empire State Building.
Empire State Building was to have a mooring mast
Empire State Building’s upper tower was to be a mooring mast for airships.
Sadly, the building owners couldn’t take this plan forward because the high winds near the building’s rooftop made it impossible for pilots to negotiate.
A mooring mast, or mooring tower, is a structure designed to allow for an airship docking outside of an airship hangar or similar facility.
Once it was also known as Empty State Building
The Empire State Building’s inauguration coincided with the Great Depression in the United States.
With everybody playing it safe, much of the office space in the Empire State Building was empty.
Therefore, the New Yorkers had nicknamed it the ‘Empty State Building’.
The Empire State Building started becoming profitable only in the 1950s.
B-25 Bomber once crashed into this building
In 1945, a B-25 Mitchell Bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State because the pilot failed to see the building in a heavy fog.
When the plane crashed into the building, three crew members and 11 people working in the building were killed.
The building didn’t suffer much damage.
Empire State has an important extension on the top
Initially, the Empire State Building was losing a lot of money, and the owners did many things to turn profitable.
In 1950, they decided to latch on to the broadcasting revolution happening in the country.
The owners installed a 68-meter (222 feet) long antenna tower on top, which allowed the region’s television stations to broadcast from the Empire State Building.
Empire State Building was once the tallest in the World
When construction on the Empire State Building began, the Chrysler Building was the tallest building in the world.
After its construction, the ESB was the world’s tallest building for nearly 40 years.
The first World Trade Center tower was built in 1970, which eventually surpassed the Empire State Building and became the tallest building globally.
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Weddings happen at Empire State Building
Since 1994, on 14th February, Valentine’s Day weddings have been taking place at the Empire State Building.
A contest is held to select prospective couples every year.
The event gets broadcast all around the world.
More than 250 couples have exchanged their wedding vows here ever since the practice began.
The couples who get married here get one free pass to the Empire State each year on 14th February, i.e., their wedding anniversary.
Empire State Building has its own zip code
Yes, you read it right. The Empire State Building is so large that it has its own zip code: 10118.
After the Empire State Building, there are now 43 other buildings in New York City with their own ZIP Codes.
Empire State Building’s lobby is legendary
You can have an immersive experience inside this world-famous, magnificent landmark.
Its aesthetic three-story high lobby runs parallel to 33rd and 34th Streets.
It contains storefronts on both its Northern and Southern sides.
The lobby’s major highlights include the Art Deco ceiling murals inspired by both the sky and the Machine Age made in 24-karat Gold and Aluminum leaf in the lobby ceilings.
One of the most remarkable images of New York City hangs on the wall right above the front desk in the Fifth Avenue lobby.
It is a depiction of the building itself with numerous beams of light radiating from its mast.
There are sensational restaurants located in the building’s main lobby.
Empire State Building loves lights
Today, ESB has thousands of programmable LED lights used to observe and celebrate important events and holidays.
In the beginning, the building had white searchlights at its top, which were replaced by four large beacon lights called the “Freedom Lights” in 1956.
In 1964, the beacons were swapped by Floodlights to illuminate the top of the building in honor of the New York World’s Fair.
The tower lights were temporarily shut off in November 1973 due to the energy crisis and were turned on again in July 1974.
In 1976, colored floodlights were installed to light up the tower in red, white, and blue.
Empire State’s lights were dimmed for 15 minutes to mark the death of actress Fay Wray, the female lead of King Kong (1933).
In 2012, the Empire State Building got its new LED lighting system, displaying 16 million distinct colors.
Many tourists love to visit the Empire State Building at night to see New York’s skyline all lit up.
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