Empire State Building 🇺🇸

The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in the Midtown South neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Situated on the western side of Fifth Avenue between West 33rd and West 34th Streets, the structure reaches a roof height of 1,250 feet (380 meters) and a total height of 1,454 feet (443.2 meters) including its antenna spire. Named after the official nickname of New York State, the landmark was designed by the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and stood as the tallest building in the world from its completion until 1970.

The site originally accommodated the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, erected in 1893, before Empire State Inc. purchased the property in 1929 to construct a modern skyscraper. After undergoing fifteen design revisions, construction commenced on March 17, 1930, and the tower opened just over thirteen months later on May 1, 1931. Financial profitability was delayed until the early 1950s due to the economic impacts of the Great Depression and World War II.

Built with a symmetrical profile, the skyscraper features a five-story base and a set-back 81-story shaft designed to conform to local 1916 zoning rules that ensured light reached the street level. Its exterior consists of blonde Indiana limestone panels, granite, brick, and stainless steel framing 6,514 windows. At the top, the building's spire is equipped with a computerized system of 1,200 LED light fixtures that illuminate the exterior in dynamic color combinations to mark seasonal events, athletic games, and notable occasions.

As an international landmark, the tower attracts approximately four million visitors each year. Guests access the observation areas via an entrance on West 34th Street, which leads to viewing spaces on the 80th, 86th, and 102nd floors. Recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers and designated a National Historic Landmark, the building has also appeared in hundreds of films and television programs since the 1930s.

Occupying its own unique postal code within a mixed commercial and residential zone, the building sits within walking distance of Herald Square, Koreatown, and Murray Hill. Convenient public transportation options serve the area, including the 34th Street–Herald Square subway station a block to the west, the 33rd Street station to the east, and a nearby PATH train station.

Empire State Building in pictures