Design and Contruction of the Empire State Building

The Empire State Building was designed by the architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon and was completed in 1931.  Located on Fifth Avenue in New York City, the building is 102 stories and reaches a height of 1,250 feet.  Upon completion, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world.

Constructed during the Great Depression, nearly 3,400 workers were required to build the Empire State Building.  Most workers were immigrants, along with a workforce of Mohawk iron workers from Canada.  The building was completed in a record 410 days, utilized the newly created fast track method of construction.  The entire project cost nearly $41 million.

The Empire State Building was actually redesigned 16 times prior to completion.  The design is an Art Deco style that gave the building more elegant features for both the interior and the exterior.  The framework is composed of steel beams and columns.  The exterior is made of 200,000 cubic feet of Indiana granite and limestone.  The façade is composed of 10 million bricks, along with over 700 tons of aluminum and stainless steel.  The 3D steel grid framework is closely packed.  One of the drawbacks is the lack of totally open spaces, due to the presence of so many columns.

Despite a number of taller structures being built after the Empire State Building, it remains one of the most celebrated works of engineering and architectural ingenuity in the world.  The American Society of Civil Engineers has given the building the distinction as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.  In 1986, The Empire State Building was given status as a national historic landmark.