Empire State Building

From the Fifth Avenue sidewalk, the Empire State Building is almost impossible to take in. To see it whole, cross the street or walk a block north: then the stepped silhouette everyone knows comes into view.

1A race to the sky

In the late 1920s, several tycoons were competing to put up the world's tallest building. This lot was home to the original Waldorf-Astoria hotel, demolished in 1929. Work began in March 1930 and the skyscraper opened on May 1, 1931: just over a year for 102 floors and 1,250 feet, about 381 meters, to the roof. The design came from the firm Shreve, Lamb & Harmon.

2The «Empty State Building»

Its timing was terrible. In the depths of the Great Depression, much of its office space sat empty for years, and New Yorkers wryly nicknamed it the «Empty State Building». The observation deck, on the other hand, was a hit from day one.

On July 28, 1945, a B-25 bomber lost in the fog crashed into the 79th floor. Fourteen people died.

The structure held, and the building reopened within days. It remained the world's tallest until 1970, when the North Tower of the World Trade Center surpassed it. And in 1933, King Kong made it a movie legend.

3What to look for

• The stepped setbacks, required by the 1916 zoning rules so that light could reach the street.
• The mast at the top, originally conceived as a mooring post for airships.
• The Art Deco canopy over the Fifth Avenue entrance.