Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is a 102-story^[c] Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and completed in 1931. The building has a roof height of 1,250 feet (380 m) and stands a total of 1,454 feet (443.2 m) tall, including its antenna. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of New York, which is of unknown origin. The 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. Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, it was again the tallest building in New York City until the new One World Trade Center surpassed it while under construction in April 2012. As of 2019, the building is the seventh-tallest building in New York City, the sixth-tallest completed skyscraper in the United States, and the 45th-tallest in the world. It is also the sixth-tallest freestanding structure in the Americas.

Empire State Building
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Record height
Tallest in the world from 1931 to 1970[I]
Preceded by	Chrysler Building
Surpassed by	World Trade Center (North Tower)
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Office building; observation deck
Architectural style	Art Deco
Location	350 Fifth Avenue[a] Manhattan, New York 10118[b]
Construction started	March 17, 1930; 89 years ago[2]
Completed	April 11, 1931; 88 years ago[3]
Opening	May 1, 1931; 88 years ago[4]
Cost	$40,948,900[5] ($555 million in 2018 dollars[6])
Owner	Empire State Realty Trust
Height
Architectural	1,250 ft (381.0 m)[7]
Tip	1,454 ft (443.2 m)[7]
Roof	1,250 ft (381.0 m)[7]
Top floor	1,224 ft (373.1 m)[7]
Observatory	1,224 ft (373.1 m) (102nd floor) 1,050 feet (320 m) (86th floor)[7]
Dimensions
Other dimensions	424 ft (129.2 m) east–west by 187 ft (57.0 m) north–south[8]
Technical details
Floor count	102[7][8][9][c]
Floor area	2,248,355 sq ft (208,879 m2)[7]
Lifts/elevators	73[7]
Design and construction
Architect	Shreve, Lamb and Harmon
Developer	Empire State Inc., including John J. Raskob and Al Smith
Structural engineer	Homer Gage Balcom
Main contractor	Starrett Brothers and Eken
Empire State Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
New York City Landmark
Location in New York City[10] Show map of ManhattanShow map of New York CityShow map of New YorkShow all
Coordinates	40°44′54.36″N 73°59′08.36″W
NRHP reference #	82001192
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 17, 1982
Designated NHL	June 24, 1986
Designated NYCL	May 19, 1981
References
I. ^ Empire State Building at Emporis [7][11][12]

The site of the Empire State Building, located in Midtown South on the west side of Fifth Avenue between West 33rd and 34th Streets, was originally part of an early 18th-century farm, then became the site of the Waldorf–Astoria Hotel in 1893.^[15] In 1929, Empire State Inc. acquired the site and devised plans for a skyscraper there. The design for the Empire State Building was changed fifteen times until it was ensured to be the world's tallest building. Construction started on March 17, 1930, and the building opened thirteen and a half months afterward on May 1, 1931. Despite the publicity surrounding the building's construction, its owners failed to make a profit until the early 1950s. However, since its opening, the building's Art Deco architecture and open-air observation deck has made it a popular attraction, with around 4 million tourists from around the world visiting the building's 86th and 102nd floor observatories every year.^[16]

The building stands within a mile of other major Midtown tourist attractions including Grand Central Terminal, Pennsylvania Station, Madison Square Garden, Koreatown, and Macy's Herald Square.

The Empire State Building is an American cultural icon and has been featured in more than 250 TV shows and movies since the film King Kong was released in 1933. A symbol of New York City, the tower has been named as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Empire State Building and its ground-floor interior have been designated as a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and were confirmed as such by the New York City Board of Estimate. It was also designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986, and was ranked number one on the American Institute of Architects' List of America's Favorite Architecture in 2007.