The Empire State Building is located at 350 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York City. It was completed on April 11, 1931, and officially opened on May 1 of that year. The building has 102 floors and a total height of 1,454 feet, including its antenna. Architect William F. Lamb designed it from the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, and it was constructed in just over a year. For nearly four decades, it held the title of the world’s tallest building until the North Tower of the World Trade Center was completed in 1971.
The building is made of steel and has an Art Deco style, notable for its vertical lines and setbacks. It has a limestone facade and was one of the first commercial structures to use anodized aluminum for many of its interior and exterior fittings. Its lobby has been renovated multiple times but still maintains original Art Deco design elements. The Empire State Building has 6,514 windows and about 2.7 million square feet of floor space.
The Empire State Building has multiple commercial tenants and offers observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors. The 86th floor has an outdoor and indoor deck, providing 360-degree city views. The 102nd floor is fully enclosed and provides a higher viewpoint. Tickets can be purchased to access these observation decks, among the most visited tourist attractions in the world.
One distinctive feature of the building is its lighting, which can display 16 million colors thanks to LED technology. The colors of the lights are often changed to commemorate holidays, events, or causes. For example, the building has been illuminated in various color schemes to mark occasions like Independence Day, Pride Month, and even to show solidarity with countries affected by natural disasters or tragedies.
The Empire State Building has undergone several renovations for modernization and energy efficiency. In 2009, a $550 million renovation project was launched to reduce the building’s energy use by up to 38%. As a part of the renovation, the building’s 6,514 windows were retrofitted to improve insulation. In 2011, the building achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for its efforts in sustainability.
