Empire State Building

When the Empire State Building in New York was officially opened in 1931 it was the highest building in the world. With 102 storeys and a landing mast for airships, the building constructed by William Frederick Lamb reached a height of 381 m. Later the television tower was added and it reached a height of nearly 449 metres, retaining its record into the 1970s. The Empire State Building is, as an office building, the seat of nearly 900 firms and organizations with more than 25,000 employees.

Two organizations bought the building in 1961 and paid a fortune for it. With a total of 65 million dollars, the Empire State Building was not only the highest but also the most expensive building in the world. In order to be able to pay their share, one of these organizations agreed a leasing contract for 114 years.

And the Empire State Building has a few more superlatives to offer: 73 elevators move on a length of about 11 km. Those who don’t want to use them can reach the 102nd floor from the ground floor via 1,860 steps. Within the building 3,500 miles of telephone cables and 60 miles of water pipes were laid. Altogether 60,000 tons of steel were used – enough for a double-track railway-line from New York to Baltimore.

The Empire State Building has received many awards: in 1981 it was named the landmark of New York. Since 1982 the building has been considered to be one of the most important historical places in the USA. In 1986 it was declared a national symbol. It is therefore no wonder that it is a great honour for a firm if it can get office rooms there.

But the Empire State Building isn’t only a gigantic office building. With about 3.5 million visitors a year it is also one of the most popular tourist attractions in New York. Since the opening of the Empire State Building, about 110 million visitors have been counted on the visitors’ platform. It is situated on the 86th floor at a height of 320 metres and consists of a glass pavilion and an open-air promenade. From there one is supposed to be able to see up to a distance of 40 miles. The visitors’ platform has also been the location for films like “Affair to Remember” and “Sleepless in Seattle”. The Empire State Building is open 365 days a year, night and day, and, as well as many stores and restaurants, offers the possibility for cinema visits, concerts and art exhibitions. For that reason, the building not only has a high status architecturally and economically, but also culturally.