Stoneking 1
Colin Stoneking
Mrs. Pennington
English 324
18 May 2008
The Empire State Building
Standing at 1,250 feet tall, The Empire State Building was once the tallest skyscraper in
the world. It is located in the center of New York City, New York in the Manhattan suburb. This
massive skyscraper was built from 1930 to 1931. The excavating began on January 22, 1930.
"Empire State Building, New York City/Emporis.com" The actual construction began on March
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17 , continued throughout all of 1930, and was finally finished on May 1, 1931 when president
Herbert Hoover gave the building its official opening."Empire State Building, New York
City/Emporis.com"
The building incorporates 10 million bricks, 1,886 kilometers (1,172 miles) of elevator
cables, 6,400 windows and weighs 331,000 tons."New York Architecture Images- Empire State
Building" Soon after opening it became a major tourist attraction, attracting many famous
people, including the French Prime Minister, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Pope Pius XII,
Fidel Castro and Queen Elizabeth II."New York Architecture Images- Empire State Building"
Total amount of steel that was used was 60,000 tons."New York Architecture Images- Empire
State Building" There are 1,575 steps from the lobby to the 86th floor where the main
observatory and the gift shop are located. "New York Architecture Images- Empire State
Building" The Empire State Building remained the tallest skyscraper in the world for a record 41
years, and stood as the world's tallest man-made structure for 23 years."New York Architecture
Images- Empire State Building" It was surpassed by the North Tower of the World Trade Center
in 1972, and the Sears Tower shortly afterwards. "New York Architecture Images- Empire State
Building" With the destruction of the World Trade Center in the September 11, 2001 attacks, the
Empire State Building again became the tallest building in New York City, and the second-tallest
building in the United States."New York Architecture Images- Empire State Building"
The Empire State Building cost $40,948,900 to build, which was 5 million dollars under
budget. "Empire State Building - skyscraperpage.com" The major architects were Arthur Lewis
Harmon, William F. Lamb, and Richmond H. Shreve. William F. Lamb being the chief
designer."Empire State Building - skyscraperpage.com" The building sits on the corner of Fifth
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Avenue and West 34 Street. "Empire State Building - skyscraperpage.com" The tower was
named one of the Seven Wonders of the World by American Society of Civil Engineers."Empire
State Building - skyscraperpage.com"
The outside observatory is one of the most popular oberservatory’s in the world. It has
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been visited by over 110 million people. The elevator to the 85 floor takes less than one minute.
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There is also another observatory on the 102 floor. There has been recorded over 30 suicides
off of the building. The very first one was by a worker who was laid off from his job so he
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jumped off of the 86 floor. The 102 floor was closed in 1999 but only to be reopened in 2005.
When it reopened it was much more closed in and secure.
There have been many famous movies that have been filmed on the Empire State
Building. The most famous would have to be King Kong which was filmed only two years after
the skyscraper was made. Sleepless in Seattle was also filmed on top of the Empire State
Building. On a Saturday in July, 1945, a B-25 bomber crashed into the Empire State Building's
79th floor, which housed the Catholic War Relief Services. Only 14 people died and the Empire
State Building reopened 2 days later. " Empire State Building - skyscraperpage.com"
The Empire State building played a huge part in the great depression. It gave many
people jobs, it offered over 1,000 different companies within the entire building. It played a very
big part in giving jobs to the people because the economy was so bad. There are over 35 radio
broadcast stations that air on The Empire State Building, along with many major news channels.
The Empire State Building is one of the most well-known architectural buildings in the
world. It was known as the tallest building in the United States for 41 years, and the tallest manmade structure in the world for 23 years. It plays a major part in world history, and will stand
strong for many years to come.
References:
http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=23
http://www.esbnyc.com
"The Empire State Building : The making of a landmark" By: Tauranac, John