Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is the tallest
and most famous skyscraper in New
York. More than 120 million visitors, in-
cluding the rock group Kiss and Queen
Elizabeth II, have gazed down on the
city from the Observatory since it
opened in 1931. Planned in the prosper-
ous 1920s by the architectural firm of
Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon, this Art
Deco classic was completed during the
Depression and was largely vacant for
several years, giving rise to the nick-
name “Empty State Building.” It has
been featured in countless movies; when
King Kong returned to celebrate the
50th anniversary of the classic film in
1983, fans the world over cheered the
triumphant ascent by a huge inflatable
ape.
View of the Empire State Building
Top 10 Features
The Building
A mooring mast for air-ships, now the base of a TV tower, was built to ensure the
102-story, 1,454-ft (443-m), building would be taller than the Chrysler Building.
