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EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

381 metres/1, 250 feet
102 stories
Completed: 1931
9th tallest building in the world


Empire State Building: for decades the tallest building of New York City and the world:
until it was beaten by New York's One World Trade Center building in 1972.
It regained the title of New York's tallest after the tragic events of September 11, 2001;
- On July 28, 1945, the building was hit by a plane.
A U.S. Army B-25 Bomber smashed into the north side of the building,
at the 79th floor level. The crash created a big hole and caused a lot of damage.
In the accident, 14 people lost their lives (including the plane crewmen) and 26 were injured.
The cause of the accident was a dense fog, which prevented the pilot from seeing the building.
The plane crashed into the building at a speed of approximately 360 km/h.


Some more facts:
- designed by Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon Associates;
- the height is without the antenna on top (not a part of the original design);
including the antenna the building reaches a height of 444m/1,455f;
an (broadcasting) antenna was added in 1951;
- the top of the building was originally intended and designed
as a mast and depot for zeppelins; however after a couple of attempts
the idea proved to be dangerous and impractical and was subsequently abandoned;
- The building has an observatory which costs US$12,- to enter. Beware of the fact that
many people want to go up and waiting in line can take several hours.
But, the observatory gives you great views over New York City and surrounding areas;
until the end of 2005 the observatory had been visited over 17 million times;
- constructed in just over 18 months time;
- officially opened by President Herbert Hoover on May 1, 1931;
- the office building is a working place for some 25,000 tenants;
- named after the nickname of the New York State;
- the building has 6,500 windows and weighs approximately 330,000 tonnes;
- it has 73 elevators and there are 1,860 steps to the top floor;




Click here to go (back) to the city page of New York City

Or click here to go (back) to the Top 25 of tallest buildings in the world

The building data, the top 10 of tallest buildings and some of the building information are courtesy of
EMPORIS.COM, one of the world's leading architectural resources on tall buildings.

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