The Empire State Building rises 1,454 feet tall, including the antenna spire, in Manhattan, New York. When it was constructed in 1931, it was the highest building in the world for 40 years, until 1972, when the North Tower of the World Trade Center was finished and stood even taller. The Empire State Building remains the tallest building in New York.
Why is the Empire State Building important? It's famous the world over as a symbol of New York City, as well as America. The building has been called "the most famous man-made structure in the world." And it's not hard to see why: From its tip-top observatory, you can see all the way to New Jersey across the Hudson River!
It's also important because it was built using prefabricated parts that were then assembled on site, making it a prototype for today's skyscrapers. Before the Empire State Building, all high buildings in America was made up of small pieces of steel welded together on site, which caused many disasters like the 1911 fire that destroyed a large part of downtown Chicago. The Empire State Building used pre-cut windows and doors that were then joined together with heavy bolts, creating a strong, stable structure that was much safer than previous buildings.
And lastly, the Empire State Building is important because it was designed by Walter Gropius, one of the founders of the Bauhaus school of design.
The Empire State Building stands 1,250 feet (380 meters) tall at its highest point. The total height of the structure, including the spire and antenna, is 1,454 feet (443 meters). It is now the fourth highest structure in New York City, the sixth tallest structure in the United States, and the 43rd tallest structure in the world. The building was opened on January 2, 1931 by President Herbert Hoover.
The original design for the Empire State Building called for it to be 1,600 feet (490 m) tall, but construction costs exceeded budget by about 20 percent. The building's owners decided to cut back the height by 50 feet (15 m), making it officially 1,250 feet (380 m) tall. In addition to being the tallest building in New York, it was also then considered the world's greatest elevator installation until the opening of the UN Secretariat Building in 1952. There are more than 5,000 rooms in the building, making it the largest hotel in the world.
It took more than five years and $25 million to build the Empire State Building, which was then the world's most expensive building. The architect was William F. Lamb, with Henry Hohauser as chief engineer. The main contractor was Breuer & Ludwig, who used 40,000 square feet (3,630 sq m) of glass in the building's floors.
The Empire State Skyscraper was the highest building in the world from 1931 to 1972, as well as the tallest building in New York from 1931 to 1972 and again from 2001 to 2013....
| Central Park Tower | 1550/472 | New York City |
|---|---|---|
| Three World Trade Center | 1073/327 | New York City |
| Salesforce Tower | 1070/326 | San Francisco |
| 53W53 | 1050/320 | New York City |
One World Trade Center is New York's tallest structure, towering 1,776 feet tall (541 meters). The Twin Towers were New York City's tallest skyscrapers until they were demolished in 2001 after the September 11 attacks, leaving the Empire State Building as the city's highest building once more.
The World Trade Center was built over a period of 10 years, from 1973 to 1983. When it was completed, the Twin Towers were the tallest buildings in the world. They were also the first skyscrapers to exceed 400 m (1,312 ft) in height. The World Trade Center contained nearly 1 million square feet (90,000 m²) of floor space. It was home to 2,753,398 square feet (24,520 m²) of rentable area—at $54 per square foot ($1,012/m²), it was by far the largest tenant base in Manhattan.
After 9/11, one tower was rebuilt within five years at a cost of $750 million, while the other took 14 years and cost $4 billion. Today, both towers are again among the world's highest buildings and account for more than half of all office space in New York City.
The World Trade Center was designed by Edward Durell Stone and Richard Morris Hunt. It was constructed by Silverstein Properties and Parsons Brinckerhoff.
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