Empire State Building facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Empire State Building

General information
Location	New York City
Country	United States
Construction started	1930
Completed	1931
Height
Antenna spire	381 m (1,250 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	103

The Empire State Building is a famous skyscraper in New York City, United States. It stands 381 meters (1,250 feet) tall and has 102 floors. Including its antenna, it reaches 1,454 feet high. It is named after New York's nickname, "The Empire State." This building is one of the most well-known landmarks in the US.

Architects Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates designed it. At the time, many people wanted to build the world's tallest building. The Empire State Building won this race. It was built very quickly, in just 410 days. US President Herbert Hoover turned on its lights on May 1, 1931.

The Empire State Building became the tallest building in New York City and the world. It held this record for 41 years. Then, the first World Trade Center towers opened in 1973. After these towers were brought down in 2001, the Empire State Building was again the tallest in New York. It lost this title in April 2013. The new One World Trade Center became taller. It is now the tallest building in the US and the Western Hemisphere.

History of the Empire State Building
- How the Building Was Designed and Built
- Opening During Hard Times
Empire State Building's Design
Related Pages
Images for kids
See also

History of the Empire State Building

The land where the Empire State Building stands was once a farm. This was in the late 1700s. A small stream flowed through the area. It emptied into a pond nearby. Later, in the late 1800s, the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was built there. Rich and famous people in New York often stayed at this hotel.

The special stone used for the building, called limestone, came from Indiana. This area is known as the "limestone capital of the world."

How the Building Was Designed and Built

A worker bolts beams during construction. The Chrysler Building is in the background.

William F. Lamb from Shreve, Lamb and Harmon designed the Empire State Building. They drew the plans in only two weeks! They used ideas from their earlier designs. These included the Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the Carew Tower in Cincinnati, Ohio. Every year, the Empire State Building staff sends a Father's Day card to the Reynolds Building. This is to honor its role as an older "sibling" building.

Starrett Brothers and Eken were the main builders. John J. Raskob and Pierre S. du Pont paid for most of the project. Alfred E. Smith, a former Governor of New York, led the construction company.

Work on the site started on January 22, 1930. Building the structure began on March 17. This was St. Patrick's Day. About 3,400 workers helped build it. Many were immigrants from Europe. Hundreds of Mohawk iron workers also helped. They came from the Kahnawake reserve near Montreal. Sadly, five workers died during construction. Governor Smith's grandchildren cut the ribbon on May 1, 1931, to open the building. Photos by Lewis Wickes Hine show what it was like for workers back then.

Building the Empire State Building was part of a big race. Many wanted to build the "world's tallest building" in New York. Two other buildings, 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building, were also being built. Each of them held the "tallest" title for less than a year. The Empire State Building passed them when it was finished on April 11, 1931. This was 12 days ahead of schedule! It took only 410 days to build.

The building officially opened on May 1, 1931. US President Herbert Hoover turned on its lights from Washington, D.C. This was a dramatic way to open it. Later, in 1932, the tower lights were first used to show something important. They signaled that Franklin D. Roosevelt had won the presidential election against Hoover.

Opening During Hard Times

The building opened during the Great Depression. This was a time when many people had no jobs. Because of this, many offices in the building were empty at first. Its location also made it hard to rent offices. It was far from major train stations like Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station. Other tall buildings, like the Chrysler Building, did not have this problem.

In its first year, the observation deck made about $2 million. This was as much money as the owners made from rent! Because so many offices were empty, New Yorkers called it the "Empty State Building."

Empire State Building's Design

The Empire State Building seen from Brooklyn, across the East River.

The building gets narrower as it goes up, with many setbacks.

Inside the Building

The Empire State Building reaches 1,250 ft (381 m) at its 102nd floor. With its 203 ft (61.9 m) spire, it is 1,453 feet 8+9⁄16 inches (443.092 m) tall. The building has 85 floors for offices. This is 2,158,000 sq ft (200,500 m²) of space to rent. It has an indoor and outdoor viewing deck on the 86th floor. The top 16 floors are part of the Art Deco tower. The 102nd floor has another observatory. On top of the tower is the 203 ft (61.9 m) pinnacle. This part holds many TV and radio antennas. A lightning rod is at the very top.

A mural of the building in the lobby.

Art Deco elevators in the lobby.

The Empire State Building was the first building with more than 100 floors. It has 6,500 windows and 73 elevators. There are 1,860 steps from the street to the 102nd floor. The total floor area is 2,768,591 sq ft (257,211 m²). The base of the building is about 2 acres (8,094 m²). About 1,000 businesses are in the building. It even has its own ZIP code, 10118. In 2007, about 21,000 people worked there daily. This made it the second-largest office building in America. Only the Pentagon is bigger.

It takes less than one minute by elevator to reach the 80th floor. This floor has a gift shop and an exhibit about the building's construction. From there, visitors can take another elevator or stairs to the 86th floor. This is where the outdoor observation deck is. The building has 70 mi (113 km) of pipes. It also has 2,500,000 ft (762,000 m) of electrical wire and about 9,000 faucets. It is heated by steam. The building weighs about 365,000 short tons (331,000 t). The outside of the building is covered with Indiana limestone panels.

The Empire State Building cost $40,948,900 to build in 1931. This would be about $787,975,100 today. The builders planned for the building to last a long time. They made sure it could be used for many different things in the future. For example, the electrical system was built to be much stronger than needed at the time.

The building's Art Deco style is common for buildings in New York before World War II. The shiny stainless steel entrances lead to tall hallways. These hallways go around the elevators. The lobby is three stories high. It has an aluminum picture of the skyscraper. This picture does not show the antenna, which was added later in 1952.

In 1963, eight lighted panels were added to the north hallway. They showed the building as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." These panels were later moved near the ticket line for the observation deck.

Until the 1960s, the lobby ceilings had a shiny Art Deco mural. It was inspired by the sky and machines. Later, it was covered up. Because the original murals were damaged, new ones were put in. Over 50 artists used a lot of aluminum and gold to remake the mural. Renovations also brought back original plans for the building. They replaced the clock with a wind gauge. They also put in two chandeliers that were planned for the building when it first opened.

From 1989 to the mid-1990s, the building was improved. This included new alarm systems, elevators, windows, and air conditioning. The observation deck was made easier for people with disabilities to use. The limestone outside was also cleaned. In 2009, the lobbies and common areas got a $550 million update. This included new air conditioning and waterproofing. The observation deck was also improved. The gift shop moved to the 80th floor.

About $120 million was spent to make the building more energy efficient and eco-friendly. For example, the 6,500 windows were remade. They now block heat but let light in. This saved money on air conditioning. In September 2011, the Empire State Building received a gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating. This made it the tallest LEED-certified building in the United States.

Special Features

Lights at the top of the Empire State Building.

Above the 102nd Floor

On the 102nd floor, there is a door with stairs going up to the 103rd floor. This area was built for airships (like blimps) to dock. It has a round balcony outside. Now, it is a special spot for famous people. It also helps workers reach the spire for repairs. The room now holds electrical equipment. Above the 103rd floor, there are more stairs and a ladder to reach the very top of the spire for maintenance.

The building's Art Deco spire was meant to be a place for airships to tie up. An elevator would take passengers from the 86th to the 102nd floor. But this idea did not work well. Strong winds around the building made it dangerous. Also, there were no ropes to tie the other end of the airship to the ground. The spire was made taller to help the building win the "world's tallest" competition.

A large broadcast tower was added to the spire in the early 1950s. This tower holds antennas for many television and FM radio stations. Before this, NBC had special rights to the top of the building. They built smaller antennas for their TV broadcasts starting in 1931.

Broadcast Stations

New York City is a very important place for media. After the events of September 11, 2001, almost all of the city's TV and FM radio stations moved their antennas to the top of the Empire State Building. A few FM stations are at the nearby Condé Nast Building. Most AM radio stations broadcast from New Jersey or other nearby areas.

Antennas for broadcast stations are at the top of the Empire State Building.

Broadcasting from the Empire State Building began on December 22, 1931. RCA started sending out experimental TV broadcasts from a small antenna. They rented the 85th floor for a lab. In 1934, Edwin Howard Armstrong joined RCA. They tested his FM radio system from the building's antenna. Later, in 1935, Armstrong and RCA stopped working together. His FM equipment was removed. The 85th floor then became home to RCA's New York TV operations. This became WNBT, channel 1 (now WNBC-TV channel 4). NBC's FM station (WEAF-FM, now WQHT) started broadcasting in 1940.

NBC had exclusive use of the top of the building until 1950. Then, the FCC ordered that other stations could use it too. This was because people complained that all TV stations should be in one place. This way, people would not have to keep adjusting their antennas. Construction on a giant new tower began. Other TV broadcasters joined RCA at the building. They used the 83rd, 82nd, and 81st floors. Many of their FM stations also moved there.

Many TV and FM broadcasts started from the new tower in 1951. When the World Trade Center was built, it caused problems for TV reception. Most stations then moved to the World Trade Center. This allowed the Empire State Building to update its antennas and equipment for the FM stations that stayed. Other FM and UHF TV stations also moved in. When the World Trade Center was destroyed, many stations had to move back to the Empire State Building. This caused a lot of changes to the antennas and transmitter rooms.

Observation Decks

Looking down from the Empire State Building.

The Empire State Building has one of the most popular outdoor viewing decks in the world. Over 110 million people have visited it. The 86th-floor observation deck gives amazing 360-degree views of the city. There is also a second observation deck on the 102nd floor. It was closed in 1999 but reopened in November 2005. This deck is fully enclosed and smaller. It might close on very busy days.

Tourists pay to visit the 86th-floor deck. They pay extra for the 102nd floor. The lines to get into the observation decks are very long. There are five different lines: on the sidewalk, for the lobby elevator, to buy tickets, for the second elevator, and to get onto the deck. For an extra fee, tourists can skip the lines. The Empire State Building makes more money from selling tickets to its observation decks than from renting office space.

The skyscraper's observation deck has been in many movies and TV shows. These include An Affair To Remember and Sleepless in Seattle. It was also the site of a pretend Martian invasion in an episode of I Love Lucy.

A 360° view of New York City from the 86th-floor observation deck, spring 2005. The East River is to the left, the Hudson River to the right, and south is near the center.

New York Skyride

The Empire State Building also has a motion simulator ride on the 2nd floor. It opened in 1994. The New York Skyride is a pretend flight over the city. The movie lasts about 25 minutes. As of May 2013, tickets cost $57 for adults, $42 for children, and $49 for seniors.

View from Macy's

Night view from the same street corner

The ride has changed twice. The first version (1994-2002) had James Doohan (Scotty from Star Trek) as the pilot. He tried to control the flight during a storm. The tour went through the subway, Coney Island, and other places. After the events of September 11, 2001, the ride closed. A new version opened in 2002 with actor Kevin Bacon as the pilot. This new version was more educational. It included some patriotic parts after 9/11. This flight also goes a bit wild, but for a shorter time.

Lights on the Building

In 1964, bright lights were added to light up the top of the building at night. Since 1976, the spire has been lit in different colors. These colors match holidays and special events. For example, it lights up for St. Patrick's Day, Christmas, Independence Day, and Bastille Day. After Frank Sinatra died, the building was lit in blue. This was for his nickname, "Ol' Blue Eyes." When actress Fay Wray (from King Kong) died in 2004, the building was dark for 15 minutes.

Lit in blue after Barack Obama won the 2012 US Presidential Election. (In the US, red is for Republicans, blue for Democrats.)

After the World Trade Center was destroyed, the building was lit in red, white, and blue for several months. Then it went back to its normal schedule. On June 4, 2002, the Empire State Building was lit in purple and gold. These are the royal colors of Elizabeth II. This was to thank the United Kingdom for playing the Star Spangled Banner at Buckingham Palace after the September 11 events.

The building is also lit in the colors of New York's sports teams when they have home games. For example, orange, blue, and white for the New York Knicks. Red, white, and blue for the New York Rangers. In early June, it is green for the Belmont Stakes horse race. It is tennis-ball yellow during the US Open tennis tournament. It was lit scarlet twice for Rutgers University. Once for a football game and once for a women's basketball game. On January 13, 2012, the building was lit in red, orange, and yellow. This was for the 60th anniversary of NBC's The Today Show. This was the first time it was lit for a TV show. From June 1 to 3, 2012, it was lit in blue and white. These are the colors of the Israeli flag. This was for the 49th annual Celebrate Israel Parade.

In 2012, the building's old lights were replaced with LED lights. This increased the colors from nine to over 16 million! A computer system controls the lights. This allows for many new lighting effects that were not possible before.

Height Records and Comparisons

Height comparison of New York City buildings. The Empire State Building is second from the left.

The Empire State Building was the tallest man-made structure in the world for 23 years. It was passed by the Griffin Television Tower in Oklahoma in 1954. It was also the tallest free-standing structure for 36 years. The Ostankino Tower passed it in 1967.

The Empire State Building held the record for the tallest skyscraper for 42 years. This was until the North Tower of the World Trade Center passed it in 1972. In the early 1970s, there was an idea to remove the spire. They thought about adding 11 more floors. This would have made the building 1,494 feet (455 m) tall. It would have been the world's tallest again. But this idea was not used.

On clear days, you can see the building from far away. This includes much of the New York Metropolitan Area. You can even see it from New Haven, Connecticut and Morristown, New Jersey.

Nearby Landmarks

The Empire State Building is in Midtown Manhattan. This area has other important landmarks. These include Macy's Herald Square, Koreatown, Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, and the Flower District. All these places bring many commuters and tourists to this part of Midtown Manhattan.

Images for kids

The five-story base from Fifth Avenue. The main entrance is in the middle. The building gets much smaller above the base.
Two sculpted concrete eagles above the Fifth Avenue entrance.
Lights showing the colors of the Democratic and Republican parties before the 2012 election.
The Empire State Building is lit in rainbow colors every June for Pride Month. This shows the international LGBT symbol.
One of several elevator lobbies.
The Fifth Avenue lobby.
An aluminum picture of the building.
The 80th-floor observation deck.
Antennas for broadcast stations are at the top of the building.
An architectural drawing showing heights and building areas.
During construction in October 1930. The USS Los Angeles, ZMC-2, and a J-class blimp are seen above.
A photo of a cable worker taken by Lewis Hine.
The Empire State Building in 1932. It had no antenna for 21 years, until 1953.
The World Trade Center's Twin Towers became taller than the Empire State Building by 1970.
Since 2009, the Empire State Building has been lit blue and white every year for graduation at Columbia University.
The current One World Trade Center (in the distance) became taller than the Empire State Building on April 30, 2012.
Wreckage from the 1945 Empire State Building B-25 crash.
The Empire State Building, by Glenn Odem Coleman, around 1931.