The Empire State Building
The Empire State Building, a 102 story, 443-meter (1454 foot) tall skyscraper located in Manhattan in the heart of New York City, is one of the most famous buildings in all the world. Upon its completion in 1931, the Empire State Building became the world's tallest building and held the record for over forty years until the first World Trade Center tower was complete in 1972.
The Empire State building was part of the great rivalry and competition between vying buildings for who could build the world's tallest building. The 40 Wall Street Building, Chrysler Building and Empire State Building were in all in competition with each other at one time to build the tallest building and to build it first. The Chrysler Building efforts were spear headed by Chrysler Chairman Walter Chrysler, and the Empire State Building was led by New York politician Al Smith and Jakob Raskob, an executive with General Motors.
Construction began on the Empire State Building in 1930 at was finished in a record breaking 14 months in May 1931. Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates was the architectural firm for the building. The skyscraper had an Art Deco design, which was popular in that post World War I era and was made of brick, concrete and steel. The exterior's distinctive look was made of limestone imported in from Indiana as well as granite, aluminum and steel. Marble imported from Germany, France and Germany was used on the ceilings of the building.
At the top of the Empire State Building is a lighting system that uses different colored patterns to denote special events, seasons and holidays. When the New York Knicks are playing at home the top of the building is lit up with blue, orange and white lights. During the Christmas season there is a Christmas tree lighting scheme displayed. Due to the height of the building these lights can be seen for miles.
The Empire State Building consists primarily of offices, providing about 15,000 offices for doctors, lawyers, insurance agents and other professionals. It also is the major broadcasting and television center for most of New York's television and radio stations, with broadcasting equipment and antennas at the top of the building. The building is also a famous tourist attraction. Over 3 million people visit the skyscraper every year and enjoy views of New York and the surrounding areas from the building's two observation decks located on the 86th and 102nd stories. From the observation decks visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of New York City as well other parts of New York and other surrounding states.
The building has figured prominently in many movies as well. The most famous being the King Kong movie where King Kong climbs up to the spire to try to escape his attackers. The Empire State Building also makes an appearance in many Woody Allen films such as Manhattan and other movies such as Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally.