Empire State Building

General

A 102 storied building, the tallest in the world for 41 years.

On the 1st of May, 1931, president Herbert Hoover pressed the button which lit up the tower and so the highest building at that time was inaugurated. It became a symbol of American ambitions, famous all over the world. It was designed by the architect Frederick Lamb, and it was built during the Great Depression. It only took one year to finish it, with costs of $40 millions (less than the expected price, as labor was cheep because of the depression).

After the Eiffel tower was built in Paris, the American architects wanted to build something greater and taller. At the beginning of the 20th century, the skyscraper race started. In the end, the race was between Walter Chrysler (founder of Chrysler Corporation) who already started working on a building, but managed to keep it's height a secret, and Jakob Raskob (previously a vice president of General Motors), who wanted to excel Chrysler's construction. The competition was really close, but Raskob's building was four feet taller. But he was not content with such a small difference and he was also worried that Chrysler would pool a trick. So he became the one pooling the tricks, and added another 17 stories, "the hat" of the building, as he put it. And so he won the "battle", by building the tallest building the world has seen.

Tourist attractions

One can do more than just see the building, as it offers a variety of activities to its visitors. You can take a tour of the Observatory, all year long, day and night and see amazing views of Manhattan and more. Or you can choose to go to one of the two restaurants situated here, the sushi bar or one of the three cafes. In the night, the tower lights will surprise you with the multitude of colors. And with how often they change, you can see different displays almost each night.

Empire State Building was outran in 1972, by the first World Trade Centre tour in Manhattan, but is still an important tourist destination and an emblem of New York. All in all, the spirit of the city is part of the building and everyone recognizes the building not only as an inspiring landmark which offers one of the most spectacular views on earth but as an unequaled symbol of American ingenuity and architecture.

Every year, millions of tourists visit the Empire State Building to get a glimpse of the city from its 86th and 102nd floor observatories, so you should try it too.