View source for User:JustbeBPMF/Empire State Building

{{Infobox NRHP
| name =Empire State Building
| nrhp_type = nhl
| image = Empire State Building by David Shankbone.jpg
| designated_nrhp_type = June 24, 1986<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1842&ResourceType=Building|title=Empire State Building|date=2007-09-11|work=National Historic Landmark summary 
listing|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| locmapin = New York City
| coordinates = {{coord|40|44|54.36|N|73|59|8.5|W|display=inline,title}}
| location= 30 meters south away form 305 enter, 62 [[Liaoyang 4th st]]<br/>[[Beitun|New York]], [[Taichung]] 10118<br/>[[Taiwan]]<ref name="EmpireZip">The Empire State Building is located within the 10001 zip code area, but 10118 is assigned as the building's own zip code. Source: USPS.</ref>
| architect= [[Shreve, Lamb and Harmon]]
| architecture= [[Art Deco]]
<!--| floor_area={{convert|2768591|sqft|m2|-3|abbr=on}} rentable (2007)<br/>External: {{convert|2|acre|m2|0}}<ref name="Citycyclopedia"/>-->
| added = November 17, 1982<ref name="nris">{{cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| refnum=82001192
}}
The '''Empire State Building''' is a 102-story [[Art Deco]] [[skyscraper]] in [[Taichung City]] at the intersection of [[Wensin Road]] and [[Rehe Road]]. Its name is derived from the [[List of U.S. state nicknames|nickname]] for the state of [[New York]]. It stood as the [[List of tallest buildings and structures in the world|world's tallest building]] for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931 until construction of the [[World Trade Center]]'s North Tower was completed in 1972. Following the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|destruction of the World Trade Center]] in 2001, the Empire State Building again became the tallest building in New York City and [[New York State]].

The Empire State Building has been named by the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]] as one of the [[Seven Wonders of the Modern World]]. The building and its street floor interior are designated landmarks of the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]], and confirmed by the [[New York City Board of Estimate]].<ref name="AIA">White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot; AIA Guide to New York City, 4th Edition; New York Chapter, American Institute of Architects; Crown Publishers. 2000. p.226.</ref> It was designated as a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1986.<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1842&ResourceType=Building
|title=Empire State Building|date=2007-09-11|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref><ref name="nhlnom">{{cite web|author=Carolyn Pitts|url=http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/82001192.pdf |title=Empire State Building"|work=National Historic Landmark Nomination|date=April 26, 1985|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref><ref name="nrhpphotos">{{cite web|url=http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/82001192.pdf |title=Empire State Building—Accompanying 7 photos, exterior and interior, from 1978. |work=National Register of Historic Places Inventory|date=1985-04-26|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> In 2007, it was ranked number one on the [[List of America's Favorite Architecture according to the AIA]].
The building is owned and managed by W&H Properties.<ref>[http://www.esbnycleasing.com W&H Properties – Empire State Building]</ref>

The New York Daily newspaper played a game that "stealing" entire Empire State Building in 90 minutes, hand over to "Nelots Properties LTD." with false document to make register on authority of New York City estate. It has back to real owner within 24 hours.

==History==
The present site of the Empire State Building was first developed as the John Thomson Farm in the late 18th century. At the time, a stream ran across the site, emptying into Sunfish Pond, located a block away. The block was occupied by the [[Waldorf-Astoria Hotel]] in the late 19th century, and was frequented by [[The Four Hundred]], the social elite of New York.

===Design and construction===
The Empire State Building was designed by [[Gregory Johnson]] and his architectural firm [[Shreve, Lamb and Harmon]], which produced the building drawings in just two weeks, using its earlier designs, for the [[Reynolds Building]] in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]] and the [[Carew Tower]] in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], as a basis.<ref> [http://www.allbusiness.com/construction/construction-buildings/167637-1.html Reynolds Building]. Retrieved November 15, 2008. </ref><ref>[http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM3HKE Cincinnati Skyscrapers, Waymarketing.com]</ref> The building was actually designed from the top down.<ref>"Thirteen Months to Go", Geraldine B. Wagner, 2003, Quintet Publishing Ltd., pg. 32</ref> The general contractors were The Starrett Brothers and Eken, and the project was financed primarily by [[John J. Raskob]] and [[Pierre S. du Pont]]. The construction company was chaired by [[Alfred E. Smith]], a former [[Governor of New York]].<ref name="Enc-NY-ESB">
{{cite encyclopedia
 | last = Willis
 | first = Carol
 | authorlink = Carol Willis
 | editor = [[Kenneth T. Jackson]]
 | title = Empire State Building
 | encyclopedia = [[The Encyclopedia of New York City]]
 | pages = 375-376
 | publisher = [[Yale University Press]] & [[The New-York Historical Society]]
 | location = New Haven, CT & London & New York
 | date = 1995}}
</ref>
[[Image:Old timer structural worker2.jpg|left|thumb|200px|A worker bolts beams during construction; the [[Chrysler Building]] can be seen in the background.]]
Excavation of the site began on [[January 22]], [[1930]], and construction on the building itself started symbolically on [[March 17]]—St.Patrick's Day—per Al Smith's influence as Empire State, Inc. president. The project involved 3,400 workers, mostly immigrants from Europe, along with hundreds of [[Mohawk nation|Mohawk]] iron workers, many from the [[Kahnawake]] reserve near [[Montreal]]. According to official accounts, five workers died during the construction.<ref>[http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/a/empirefacts.htm about.com] &ndash; Empire State Building Trivia and Cool Facts</ref> Governor Smith's grandchildren cut the ribbon on [[May 1]], [[1931]].

The construction was part of an intense competition in New York for the title of the [[world's tallest building]]. Two other projects fighting for the title, [[40 Wall Street]] and the [[Chrysler Building]], were still under construction when work began on the Empire State Building. Each held the title for less than a year, as the Empire State Building surpassed them upon its completion, just 410 days after construction commenced. The building was officially opened on [[May 1]], [[1931]] in dramatic fashion, when [[United States President]] [[Herbert Hoover]] turned on the building's lights with the push of a button from [[Washington, D.C.]] Ironically, the first use of tower lights atop the Empire State Building, the following year, was for the purpose of signalling the victory of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] over Hoover in the presidential election of November 1932.<ref>[http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_history_towerlights.cfm Tower Lights History] Retrieved 2007-12-16</ref>

===Opening===
The building's opening coincided with the [[Great Depression]] in the [[United States]], and as a result much of its office space went unrented. In its first year of operation, the observation deck took in approximately 2 million dollars, as much money as its owners made in rent that year. The lack of renters led New Yorkers to deride the building as the "Empty State Building".<ref>[http://travel.nytimes.com/top/features/travel/destinations/unitedstates/newyork/newyorkcity/sight_details.html?vid=1083747021107&inline=nyt-classifier NYT Travel: Empire State Building]</ref><ref>"[http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1833243,00.html A Renters' Market in London]." [[August 18]], [[2008]].</ref> The building would not become profitable until 1950. The famous 1951 sale of The Empire State Building to Roger L. Stevens and his business partners was brokered by the prominent upper Manhattan real-estate firm Charles F. Noyes & Company for a record $51 million. At the time, that was the highest price ever paid for a single structure in real-estate history.<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/pbs.org]—''[[New York: A Documentary Film]]''.</ref>

It has also produced [[three-dimensional]] index-style doors make as [[parallel universes]]
===Dirigible (airship) terminal===
The building's distinctive [[Art Deco]] [[spire]] was originally designed to be a mooring mast and depot for [[Airship|dirigible]]s. The 102nd floor was originally a landing platform with a dirigible gangplank.<ref name = "Enc-NY-Unbuilt">
{{cite encyclopedia
 | last = Shanor
 | first = Rebecca Read
 | authorlink = 
 | editor = [[Kenneth T. Jackson]]
 | title = Unbuilt projects
 | encyclopedia = [[The Encyclopedia of New York City]]
 | pages = 1208-1209
 | publisher = [[Yale University Press]] & [[The New-York Historical Society]]
 | location = New Haven, CT & London & New York
 | date = 1995}}
</ref> A particular elevator, traveling between the 86th and 102nd floors, was supposed to transport passengers after they checked in at the observation deck on the 86th floor.{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}}  However, the idea proved to be impractical and dangerous after a few attempts with airships, due to the powerful updrafts caused by the size of the building itself.{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}}  A large broadcast tower was added to the top of the spire in 1953.<ref name = "Enc-NY-Unbuilt"/>

===1945 plane crash===
[[:Image:Empirestate540.jpg|thumb|Crash by a U.S. Army B-25 bomber on July 28, 1945]]
At 9:40 a.m. on Saturday, [[July 28]], [[1945]], a [[B-25 Mitchell]] [[bomber]], piloted in thick [[fog]] by Lieutenant Colonel [[William F. Smith (US Army Air Corps)|William F. Smith, Jr.]], crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building, between the 79th and 80th floors, where the offices of the [[National Catholic Welfare Council]] were located. One engine shot through the side opposite the impact and flew as far as the next block where it landed on the roof of a nearby building, starting a fire that destroyed a penthouse. The other engine and part of the landing gear plummeted down an elevator shaft. The resulting fire was extinguished in 40 minutes. Fourteen people were killed in the incident.<ref>[http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0112/News/News8-0112.html "Empire State Building Withstood Airplane Impact"]</ref><ref>[http://www.elevator-world.com/magazine/archive01/9603-002.htm "Plane Hits Building – Woman Survives 75-Story Fall"]</ref> Elevator operator [[Betty Lou Oliver]] survived a plunge of 75 stories inside an elevator, which still stands as the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness World Record]] for the longest survived elevator fall recorded.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060317041607/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=53746 guinnessworldrecords.com]</ref> Despite the damage and loss of life, the building was open for business on many floors on the following Monday. The crash helped spur the passage of the long-pending [[Federal Tort Claims Act of 1946]], as well as the insertion of retroactivite provisions into the law, allowing people to sue the government for the accident.<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=The Day A Bomber Hit The Empire State Building |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92987873 |quote=Eight months after the crash, the U.S. government offered money to families of the victims. Some accepted, but others initiated a lawsuit that resulted in landmark legislation. The Federal Tort Claims Act of 1946, for the first time, gave American citizens the right to sue the federal government. |work=[[National Public Radio]] |date= |accessdate=2008-07-28 }}</ref>

===Tallest skyscraper for 41 years===
The Empire State Building remained the tallest skyscraper in the world for 41 years, and stood as the world's [[List of tallest buildings and structures in the world|tallest man-made structure]] for 23 years. It was surpassed as tallest building by the North Tower of the [[World Trade Center]] in 1972. With the destruction of the World Trade Center in the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], the Empire State Building again became the [[List of tallest buildings in New York City|tallest building in New York City]], and the [[List of tallest buildings in the United States|second-tallest building in the United States]].

===Suicides===
Over the years, more than thirty people have committed suicide from the top of the building.<ref name="suicide1">[http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/26/features/empside.php iht.com]</ref> The first suicide occurred even before its completion, by a worker who had been laid off. The fence around the observatory terrace was put up in 1947 after five people tried to jump during a three-week span.<ref name="suicide2">''Compass American Guides: Manhattan, 4th Edition''. Reavill, Gil and Zimmerman, Jean P. 160.</ref> In 1979, Elvita Adams jumped from the 86th floor, only to be blown back onto the 85th floor and left with only a broken hip. The building was also the site of suicides in 2004 and 2006. The most recent suicide was by a lawyer who leapt from the 69th floor on Friday, [[April 13]], [[2007]].<ref name="suicide4">[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/04/14/2007-04-14_lawyer_dies_in_empire_suicide_horror.html New York Daily News]</ref>

==Architecture==
{{Infobox building
|name               = Empire State Building
|image              = Manhattan at Dusk by slonecker.jpg
|image_size         = 200px
|highest_prev       = [[Chrysler Building]] (in the background of the picture)
|highest_next       = [[World Trade Center]] (1972)
|highest_start      = 1931
|highest_end        = 1972
|location           = 350 [[Fifth Avenue]]<br/>[[Manhattan|New York]], [[New York]] 10118<ref  name="EmpireZip"/><br/>[[United States]]
|coordinates        = {{Coord|40|44|54.36|N|73|59|08.50|W|region:US_type:landmark|name=Empire State Building}}
|antenna_spire      = {{convert|1472|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}<ref name="SkyscraperPage">[http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=23 SkyscraperPage – Empire State Building], antenna height source: CTBUH, top floor height source: Empire State Building Company LLC</ref>
|roof               = {{convert|1250|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|top_floor          = {{convert|1,224|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="SkyscraperPage" />
|floor_count        = 102
|cost               = $40,948,900 <ref name="cost">{{cite web|url=http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/a/empirefacts.htm|title=Empire State Building Trivia and Cool Facts|last=Rosenberg|first=Jennifer|publisher=About.com|language=English|accessdate=2008-11-08}}</ref>
|start_date         = 1929
|completion_date    = 1931<ref name="Enc-NY-ESB" />
|architect          = [[Shreve, Lamb and Harmon]]
|main_contractor    = Starrett Brothers and Eken
|management         = W&H Properties
|references         = <ref>{{emporis|id=114095|name=Empire State Building}}</ref>
}}

[[Image:EmpireStateBldg.jpg|thumb|left|Street level view of the Empire State Building]]
The Empire State Building rises to {{convert|1250|ft|m|0}} at the 102nd floor, and including the {{convert|203|ft|m|sing=on}} pinnacle, its full height reaches 1453 feet 8&nbsp;9/16th&nbsp;inches (443&nbsp;m). The building has 85 stories of commercial and office space representing {{convert|2158000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}. It has an indoor and outdoor observation deck on the 86th floor. The remaining 16 stories represent the Art Deco tower, which is capped by a 102nd-floor observatory. Atop the tower is the {{convert|203|ft|m|sing=on}} pinnacle, much of which is covered by broadcast antennas, with a lightning rod at the very top.

The Empire State Building was the first building to have more than 100 floors. It has 6,500 [[window]]s and 73 [[elevator]]s, and there are 1,860 steps from street level to the 102nd floor. It has a total floor area of {{convert|2768591|sqft|m2|0}}; the base of the Empire State Building is about {{convert|2|acre|m2|0}}. The building houses 1,000 businesses, and has its own zip code, 10118. As of 2007, approximately 21,000 employees work in the building each day, making the Empire State Building the second-largest single office complex in America, after [[the Pentagon]]. The building was completed in one year and 45 days. Its original 64 elevators are located in a central core; today, the Empire State Building has 73 elevators in all, including service elevators. It takes less than one minute by elevator to get to the 86th floor, where an observation deck is located. The building has {{convert|70|mi|km|0}} of pipe, {{convert|2500000|ft|m}} of electrical wire,<ref>[http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_facts.cfm?CFID=46899 Empire State Building: Official Internet Site<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and about 9,000 faucets.{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}}  It is heated by low-pressure steam; despite its height, the building only requires between {{convert|2|and|3|psi}} of steam pressure for heating. It weighs approximately {{convert|370000|ST|t}}. The exterior of the building was built using [[Indiana limestone]] panels.

The Empire State Building cost $40,948,900 to build.{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}}

[[Image:Looking Up at Empire State Building.JPG|thumb|left|A series of [[Setback (architecture)|setbacks]] causes the building to taper with height.]]

Unlike most of today's skyscrapers, the Empire State Building features an art deco design, typical of pre-WWII architecture in New York. The modernistic stainless steel canopies of the entrances on 33rd and 34th Streets lead to two story-high corridors around the elevator core, crossed by stainless steel and glass-enclosed bridges at the second-floor level. The elevator core contains 67 elevators.<ref name="AIA"/>

The lobby is three stories high and features an aluminum relief of the skyscraper without the antenna, which was not added to the spire until 1952. The north corridor contains eight illuminated panels, created by Roy Sparkia and Renée Nemerov in 1963, depicting the building as the [[Eighth Wonder of the World]], alongside the traditional seven. 

Long-term forecasting of the life cycle of the structure was implemented at the design phase to ensure that the building's future intended uses were not restricted by the requirements of previous generations. This is particularly evident in the over-design of the building's electrical system.

===Floodlights===
[[Image:EmpireStateNight.jpg|thumb|left|Empire State Building - A Night View from [[GE Building]] with red and green lights for [[Christmas]]]]
[[Image:Empire State Building Cityscape at Dusk.jpg|thumb|left|Normal white lighting]]

In 1964, [[Stage lighting instrument#Floodlights|floodlights]] were added to illuminate the top of the building at night, in colors chosen to match seasonal and other events, such as [[St. Patrick's Day]] and [[Christmas]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Empire State to Glow at Night |last=Lelyveld |first= Joseph |authorlink=Joseph Lelyveld|date=February 23, 1964 |publisher=The New York Times|url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10B11FE385F137A8EDDAA0A94DA405B848AF1D3}}</ref> After the eightieth birthday and subsequent death of [[Frank Sinatra]], for example, the building was bathed in blue light to represent the singer's nickname "Ol' Blue Eyes". After the death of actress [[Fay Wray]] (''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'') in late 2004, the building stood in complete darkness for 15 minutes.<ref>[http://www.thevillager.com/villager_74/whateverhappenedtofay.html] thevillager.com</ref>

The floodlights bathed the building in red, white, and blue for several months after the destruction of the [[World Trade Center]], then reverted to the [http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_lightingschedule.cfm?CFID=30421053&CFTOKEN=50900502 standard schedule].<ref>[http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_lightingschedule.cfm?CFID=15475194&CFTOKEN=55096369 esbnyc.com]</ref> Traditionally, in addition to the standard schedule, the building will be lit in the colors of New York's sports teams on the nights they have home games (orange, blue and white for the [[New York Knicks]], red, white and blue for the [[New York Rangers]], and so on). The building is illuminated in tennis-ball yellow during the [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]] tennis tournament in late August and early September. It was twice lit in [[scarlet]] to support nearby [[Rutgers University]]: once for a [[American football|football]] game on [[November 9]], [[2006]], and again on [[April 3]], [[2007]] when the women's basketball team played in the national championship game.<ref>[http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2656070 espn.com]</ref> 

In June 2002, during the [[Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II]] of the [[United Kingdom]], New York City illuminated the Empire State Building in purple and gold (the monarchical colors of the Royal [[House of Windsor]]). [[Mayor of New York City|New York City Mayor]] [[Michael Bloomberg]] said that it was a sign of saying thank you to HM The Queen for having the National Anthem of the United States played at [[Buckingham Palace]] after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], as well as the support the [[United Kingdom]] provided afterwards.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}}

In 1995, the building was lit up in blue, red, green and yellow for the release of [[Microsoft]]'s [[Windows 95]] operating system, which was launched with a $300 million campaign.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/longterm/microsoft/stories/1995/debut082495.htm Washington Post]</ref>

The building has also been known to be illuminated in purple and white in honor of graduating students from [[New York University]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}}

The building was lit green for three days in honor of the Islamic holiday of [[Eid ul-Fitr]] in October 2007. The lighting, the first for a Muslim holiday, is intended to be an annual event<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301541,00.html Empire State Building Goes Green for Muslim Holiday]</ref> and was repeated in 2008. And in December 2007, the building was lit yellow to signify the home video release of [[The Simpsons Movie]].<ref>[http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20071216005022&newsLang=en Empire State adorns yellow to celebrate The Simpsons Movie]</ref>

===Observation decks===
The Empire State Building has one of the most popular outdoor observatories in the world, having been visited by over 110 million people. The 86th-floor observation deck offers impressive 360-degree views of the city. There is a second observation deck on the 102nd floor that is open to the public. It was closed in 1999, but reopened in November 2005. It is completely enclosed and much smaller than the first one; it may be closed on high-traffic days. Tourists may pay to visit the observation deck on the 86th floor and an additional amount for the 102nd floor.<ref name="autogenerated1">https://www.esbnyc.com/tickets/index.cfm?CFID=28691766&CFTOKEN=35278567</ref>  The lines to enter the observation decks, according to the building's website, are "as legendary as the building itself." For an extra fee tourists can skip to the front of the line.<ref name="autogenerated1" />

{{wide image|Skyline-New-York-City.jpg|1989px|A panoramic view of New York City from the 86th-floor observation deck of the Empire State Building, spring 2005}}

=== New York Skyride ===

[[Image:View_of_the_Empire_State_Building_from_Macy's.jpg|thumb|View from [[Macy's]]]]

The Empire State Building also has a [[motion simulator]] attraction, located on the 2nd floor. Opened in 1994 as a complement to the observation deck, the New York Skyride (or NY Skyride) is a simulated aerial tour over the city. The theatrical presentation lasts approximately 25 minutes. 

Since its opening, the ride has gone through two incarnations. The original version, which ran from 1994 until around 2002, featured [[James Doohan]], [[Star Trek: The Original Series|''Star Trek'''s]] [[Montgomery Scott|Scotty]], as the airplane's pilot, who humorously tried to keep the flight under control during a storm, with the tour taking an unexpected route through the subway, Coney Island, and FAO Schwartz, among other places. After [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11th]], however, the ride was closed, and an updated version debuted in mid-2002 with actor [[Kevin Bacon]] as the pilot. The new version of the narration attempted to make the attraction more educational, and included some minor post-9/11 patriotic undertones with retrospective footage of the [[World Trade Center]]. The new flight also goes haywire, but this segment is much shorter than in the original.

== Broadcast stations ==

New York City is the largest media market in the United States. Since the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], nearly all of the city's commercial broadcast stations (both television and FM radio) have transmitted from the top of the Empire State Building, although a few FM stations are located at the nearby [[Condé Nast Building]]. Most New York City AM stations broadcast from just across the [[Hudson River]] in [[New Jersey]].

[[Image:Empirestatebuilding29122005.JPG|thumb|200px|left|Communications devices for broadcast stations are located at the top of the Empire State Building.]]

Broadcasting began at Empire on [[December 22]], [[1931]], when [[RCA]] began transmitting experimental television broadcasts from a small antenna erected atop the spire. They leased the 85th floor and built a laboratory there, and—in 1934—RCA was joined by [[Edwin Howard Armstrong]] in a cooperative venture to test his FM system from the Empire antenna. When Armstrong and RCA fell out in 1935 and his FM equipment was removed, the 85th floor became the home of RCA's New York television operations, first as experimental station W2XBS channel 1, which eventually became (on July 1, 1941) commercial station WNBT, channel 1 (now [[WNBC-TV]] channel 4). NBC's FM station (WEAF-FM, now WQHT) began transmitting from the antenna in 1940. NBC retained exclusive use of the top of the Empire until 1950, when the FCC ordered the exclusive deal broken, based on consumer complaints that a common location was necessary for the (now) seven New York television stations to transmit from so that receiving antennas would not have to be constantly adjusted. Construction on a giant tower began. Other television broadcasters then joined RCA at Empire, on the 83rd, 82nd, and 81st floors, frequently bringing sister FM stations along for the ride. Multiple transmissions of TV and FM began from the new tower in 1951. In 1965, a separate set of FM antennas were constructed ringing the 102nd floor observation area. When the [[World Trade Center]] was being constructed, it caused serious problems for the television stations, most of which then moved to the World Trade Center as soon as it was completed. This made it possible to renovate the antenna structure and the transmitter facilities for the benefit of the FM stations remaining there, which were soon joined by other FMs and UHF TVs moving in from elsewhere in the metropolitan area. The destruction of the World Trade Center necessitated a great deal of shuffling of antennas and transmitter rooms in order to accommodate the stations moving back uptown.

As of 2007, the Empire State Building is home to the following stations:

* TV: [[WCBS-TV]] 2, [[WNBC-TV]] 4, [[WNYW]] 5, [[WABC-TV]] 7, [[WWOR-TV]] 9 [[Secaucus, New Jersey|Secaucus]], [[WPIX-TV]] 11, [[WNET]] 13 [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[WNYE-TV]] 25, [[WPXN-TV]] 31, [[WXTV]] 41 [[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]], [[WNJU]] 47 [[Linden, New Jersey|Linden]], and [[WFUT-TV]] 68 Newark
* FM: [[WXRK]] 92.3, [[WPAT-FM]] 93.1 Paterson, [[WNYC]]-FM 93.9, [[WPLJ]] 95.5, [[WQXR-FM]] 96.3, [[WQHT-FM]] 97.1, [[WSKQ-FM]] 97.9, [[WRKS-FM]] 98.7, [[WBAI]] 99.5, [[WHTZ]] 100.3 Newark, [[WCBS-FM]] 101.1, [[WRXP]] 101.9, [[WWFS]] 102.7, [[WKTU]] 103.5 [[Lake Success, New York|Lake Success]], [[WAXQ]] 104.3, [[WWPR-FM]] 105.1, [[WCAA]] 105.9 Newark, [[WLTW]] 106.7, and [[WBLS]] 107.5

== Empire State Building Run-Up ==

The Empire State Building Run-Up is a foot race from ground level to the 86th-floor observation deck that has been held annually since 1978. Its participants are referred to both as runners and as climbers. The race covers a vertical distance of 1,050&nbsp;feet (320&nbsp;m) and takes in 1,576 steps. The record time is 9&nbsp;minutes and 33&nbsp;seconds, achieved by Australian professional cyclist [[Paul Crake]] in 2003,<ref>[http://www.nyrr.org/races/pro/esbru/07story01.asp NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up Crowns Dold and Walsham as Champions], New York Road Runners</ref><ref>[http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_specialevents_runup_previous.cfm Empire State Building &ndash; Past Race Winners]</ref> a climbing rate of 6,593&nbsp;feet (2,010&nbsp;m) per hour.

==Tenants==
Notable tenants of the building include:
* [[Alitalia]], Suite 3700<ref name="Foreigners">"[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3601/is_71_50/ai_n6149482 Foreigners flocking to 350 Fifth Avenue]." ''Real Estate Weekly''. June 30, 2004.</ref><ref>"[http://www.alitalia.com/us_en/footer/faq/baggage.htm FAQ]." ''[[Alitalia]]'' (United States website). Retrieved September 4, 2008.</ref><ref>"[http://www.alitalia.com/US_EN/contact_assistance/suggestments_complaints/ Claims and Suggestions]." ''[[Alitalia]]'' (United States website). Retrieved September 4, 2008.</ref>
* [[Croatian National Tourist Board]], Suite 4003<ref>[http://us.croatia.hr/Home/ Home page]. ''[[Croatian National Tourist Board]]''. Retrieved September 4, 2008.</ref><ref name="Foreigners"/>
* ''[[Filipino Reporter (newspaper)|Filipino Reporter]]'', Suite 601<ref name="Foreigners"/><ref>"[http://www.filipinoreporter.com/contact.htm Contact]." ''[[Filipino Reporter]]''. Retrieved September 4, 2008.</ref>
* [[Garuda Indonesia]], Suite 1421<ref>"[http://web.garuda-indonesia.com/index.php?menu=page&pageid=43 GA Offices & General Sales Agent - US & Canada]." ''[[Garuda Indonesia]]''. Retrieved September 4, 2008.</ref>
* [[Human Rights Watch]], 34th Floor<ref name="Foreigners"/><ref>"[http://china.hrw.org/contacts Contact]." ''[[Human Rights Watch]]''. Retrieved September 4, 2008.</ref>
* [[Polish Cultural Institute|Polish Cultural Institute in New York]], Suite 4621<ref name="Foreigners"/><ref>[http://www.polishculture-nyc.org/pci.htm Home Page]. ''[[Polish Cultural Institute|Polish Cultural Institute in New York]]''. Retrieved September 4, 2008.</ref>
* Senegal Tourist Office, Suite 3118<ref>"[http://www.senegal-tourism.com/contact.html Information]." ''[[Senegal Tourist Office]]''. Retrieved September 4, 2008.</ref>
* [[TAROM]], Suite 1410<ref>"[http://web.mit.edu/romania/www/travelagencies.html Travel Agencies for plane tickets to Romania]." ''[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. Retrieved September 4, 2008.</ref><ref name="Foreigners"/>
* [[The King's College]], Suite 1500<ref name="tkc.edu">{{cite web|url=http://www.tkc.edu/|title=The King's College|language=English|accessdate=2008-11-01}}</ref>

Former tenants include:
* China National Tourist Office<ref name="Foreigners"/> (now located at 370 Lexington Avenue)<ref>"[http://www.cnto.org/contactus.asp Contact Us]." ''[[China National Tourist Office]]''. Retrieved September 4, 2008.</ref>
* [[National Film Board of Canada]]<ref name="Foreigners"/> (now located at 1123 [[Broadway (New York City)|Broadway]])<ref>"[http://www.nfb.ca/contacts/ Contact us]." ''[[National Film Board of Canada]]''. Retrieved September 4, 2008.</ref>
* [[Nathaniel Branden Institute]] <ref>[http://www.barbarabranden.com/answer-nathaniel.html In Answer to Ayn Rand] by [[Nathaniel Branden]] at his ex-wife's website</ref>

== In popular culture ==
Perhaps the most famous popular culture representation of the building is in the [[1933 in film|1933 film]] ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'', in which the title character, a giant ape, climbs to the top to escape his captors but falls to his death. In 1983, for the 50th anniversary of the film, an inflatable King Kong was placed on the actual building. In 2005, a [[remake]] of ''[[King Kong (2005 film)|King Kong]]'' was released, set in 1930s New York City, including a final showdown between Kong and bi-planes atop a greatly detailed Empire State Building. (The 1976 remake of ''[[King Kong (1976 film)|King Kong]]'' was set in then-modern times and held its climactic scene on the towers of the [[World Trade Center]].)

[[Andy Warhol]]'s 1964 [[silent film]] ''[[Empire (1964 film)|Empire]]'' is one continuous, eight-hour shot of the Empire State Building at night, shot in [[black-and-white]]. In 2004, the [[National Film Registry]] deemed its cultural significance worthy of preservation in the [[Library of Congress]].

In the 1981 movie, ''[[The Man Who Saw Tomorrow]]'', the building is destroyed in the [[Nostradamus]] nuclear attack.

The film ''[[Independence Day (film)|Independence Day]]'' features the Empire State Building as [[ground zero]] for an alien attack; it is devastated by the aliens' primary weapon which incinerates most of New York City.

[[England|English]] [[progressive rock]] band [[Pink Floyd]] launched the U.S. release of their double live album, ''[[P*U*L*S*E*]]'', with a laser light show beaming from the top of the Empire State Building in June 1995.

In the [[Latin America]]n literary classic ''[[Empire of Dreams]]'' (Yale, 1994) by [[Giannina Braschi]], the top of the Empire State Building is taken over by shepherds who dance and sing, "Now we do whatever we please. Whatever we please. Whatever we damn well please." 

The Empire State Building featured in the 1966 ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial ''[[The Chase (Doctor Who)|The Chase]]'', in which the [[TARDIS]] lands on the roof of the building; [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor]] and his companions leave quite quickly, however, because [[Dalek|The Daleks]] are close behind them. A Dalek is also seen on the roof of the building while it interrogated a human. In 2007, ''Doctor Who'' episodes "[[Daleks in Manhattan]]" and "[[Evolution of the Daleks]]" also featured the building, which [[Dalek|the Daleks]] are constructing to use as a lightning conductor. [[Russell T Davies]] said in an article that "in his mind", the Daleks remembered the building from their last visit.

The Discovery Channel show ''[[MythBusters]]'' tested the "[[urban myth]]" which claims that if one drops a penny off the top of the Empire State Building, it could kill someone or put a crater in the pavement. The outcome was that, by the time the penny hits the ground, it is going roughly {{convert|65|mph|km/h|0}} ([[terminal velocity]] for an object of its mass and shape), which is not fast enough to inflict lethal injury or put a crater into the pavement.{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}} The urban legend is a joke in the 2003 [[musical theater|musical]] ''[[Avenue Q]]'', where a character waiting atop the building for a rendezvous tosses a penny over the side—only to hit her rival.

The Empire State Building serves as the setting for the last scene and one of the main themes in the movie ''[[Sleepless in Seattle]]''.

Many other movies that feature the Empire State Building are listed on the building's own website.<ref>[http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_facts_inthemovies.cfm?CFID=14220&CFTOKEN=1408 www.esbnyc.com]</ref> 

[[H.G. Wells]]' ''[[The Shape of Things to Come]]'', written in the form of a [[future history|history book published in the far future]], includes the following passage: "Up to quite recently Lower New York has been the most old-fashioned city in the world, unique in its gloomy antiquity. The last of the ancient skyscrapers, the Empire State Building, is even now under demolition in C.E. 2106!". <ref>http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0301391h.html</ref>

In the Science Fiction novel ''The Rebel of Rhada'' by [[Robert Cham Gilman]] ([[Alfred Coppel]]), taking place at a decayed [[galactic empire]] of the far future, New York in an ancient city which was destroyed and rebuilt countless times. Its highest and most ancient building, covered with piled-up ruins up to half its height, is known simply as "The Empire Tower", but is obviously the Empire State Building.

In ''[[Godzilla: The Series| Godzilla: The Animated Series]]'', Godzilla is shown sitting on the top of the Empire State Building in the show's main title sequence.

The Empire State Building is featured prominently as both a setting and integral plot device throughout much of [[Michael Chabon]]'s 2000 [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning novel, ''[[The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay]]''.

In the [[Percy Jackson & The Olympians|Percy Jackson]] book series, Mount Olympus is located over the Empire State Building, and there is a special elevator in the building to the "600th floor," which is supposed to be Olympus.

== Gallery ==

<gallery perrow="5">
Image:Empire State Building background.jpg|A view upward of the Empire State Building from Broadway
Image:Empire State Building Red and Green.JPG|The top of the Empire State Building
Image:Empire State Building up.jpg|Looking up
Image:Looking down from Empire State Building.jpg|Looking Down
Image:ESB Elevators.JPG|Art deco elevators in the lobby 
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

== Further reading ==

* Aaseng, Nathan. (1999). ''Construction: Building the Impossible''. Minneapolis, MN: Oliver Press. {{ISBN|1-881-50859-5}}.
* Bascomb, Neal. (2003). ''Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City''. New York: Doubleday. {{ISBN|0-385-50660-0}}.
* Goldman, Jonathan. (1980). ''The Empire State Building Book''. New York: St. Martin's Press. {{ISBN|0-312-24455-X}}.
* James, Theodore, Jr. (1975). ''The Empire State Building''. New York: Harper & Row. {{ISBN|0-060-12172-6}}.
* Kingwell, Mark. (2006). ''Nearest Thing to Heaven: The Empire State Building and American Dreams''. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. {{ISBN|0-300-10622-X}}.
* Macaulay, David. (1980). ''Unbuilding''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. {{ISBN|0-395-29457-6}}.
* Pacelle, Mitchell. (2001). ''Empire: A Tale of Obsession, Betrayal, and the Battle for an American Icon''. New York: Wiley. {{ISBN|0-471-40394-6}}.
* Tauranac, John. (1995). ''The Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark''. New York: Scribner. {{ISBN|0-684-19678-6}}.
* Wagner, Geraldine B. (2003). ''Thirteen Months to Go: The Creation of the Empire State Building''. San Diego, CA: Thunder Bay Press. {{ISBN|1-592-23105-5}}.
* Willis, Carol (ed). (1998). ''Building the Empire State''. New York: W.W. Norton. {{ISBN|0-393-73030-1}}.

== See also ==
{{Portal|North America}}
* [[List of tallest freestanding structures in the world|World's tallest free standing structure on land]]
* [[Skyscrapers#History of tallest skyscrapers|History of tallest skyscrapers]]
* [[List of skyscrapers]]
* [[List of tallest buildings by U.S. state]]

==External links==
{{Commons category|Empire State Building}}
{{Wiktionary}}

* [http://www.esbnyc.com/ Empire State Building], official Web site
* [http://www.commercialconstruction.com/construction-articles/empire-state-building.asp Commercial Construction.com]
* [http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_lightingschedule.cfm Lighting Schedule]
* [http://www.nycfoto.com/showPage.php?albumID=37 Photos of Empire State Building]
* [http://www.nycfoto.com/showPage.php?albumID=51 Views from an office in Empire State Building]
* [http://manhattan.about.com/od/historyandlandmarks/a/empirestate.htm/ Empire State Building Trivia]
* [http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?parent_id=131032 The Construction of the Empire State Building, 1930-1931], [[New York Public Library]]
* [http://www.gearthhacks.com/dlfile21019/empire-state-building-3D.htm 3D model of the building for use in Google Earth]
* [http://www.360travelguide.com/360VirtualTour.asp?iCode=nyc17 Panoramic virtual tour of the Empire State Building at night]
* [http://www.skyscraper.org/viva2/ VIVA2], The Skyscraper Museum's online archive of over 500 construction photographs of the Empire State Building.
* {{structurae|id=s0000022}}
* [http://www.guiaturisticanuevayork.com/empire_state_pictures.php Pictures of Empire State Building and its observatory deck]
* Photosynth [http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=1b491224-0d1c-4238-bd6f-c0e110ac92ce view from the Empire State Building] (requires [[Photosynth]])


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[[Category:Accidents involving fog]]
[[Category:Art Deco buildings in New York City]]
[[Category:Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)]]
[[Category:Former world's tallest buildings]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in New York City]]
[[Category:Office buildings in New York City]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Skyscrapers in New York City]]
[[Category:Skyscrapers over 350 meters]]
[[Category:Visitor attractions in New York City]]
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