The Empire State Building in New York hardly needs any introduction to anyone. Growing up, if you have seen English movies, this iconic building has been in the background or maybe even at the forefront of many movies. The crowning building in the city of skyscrapers, a tour of New York is rather incomplete without a visit to this legendary landmark. But did you know that there are some interesting facts about this building that many people aren’t aware of? Yes, and today we are here to tell you about some of these facts.
Facts About Empire State Building
1. Constructed During A Race To Create The World’s Tallest Building
When the New York economy was booming like never before, during the late 1920s, builders were in a mad rush to construct the largest skyscraper in the world. And the main competition happened to be between 40 Wall Street’s Bank of Manhattan and the Chrysler Building, which is an elaborate Art Deco structure. But as the race heated up, plans for the Empire State Building were announced. The massive building finally stood at a height of 1,250 feet. And guess what? This building remained the world’s tallest for nearly 40 years.
2. The Building Was Finished In Just 20 Months
As expected from a massive skyscraper, the building ended up being finished in record time. Even though the project was of colossal size, everything from design and planning to construction took just 20 months from start to finish. As revealed by History.com, the new skyscraper took just 410 days. In fact, it ended up being finished ahead of schedule.
3. Daredevils Parachuted From The Building’s Observation Deck
Before the extremely viral online proposal (which was completely illegal, by the way), took place at the top of the Empire State Building, several daredevils had parachuted from the observation deck of the building. Back in 1986, thrill-seekers Alastair Boyd and Michael McCarthy concealed parachutes under their coats.
They bought the tickets to the Empire State Building and then hurled themselves from the 86th floor of the observation deck. The pair then landed safely over 1,000 feet below on 33rd Street. The two were later charged with reckless endangerment and unlawful parachuting.
4. Inflatable King Kong Attached To Empire State Building
As mentioned previously, there have been many movies that feature the Empire State Building. But 1933 King Kong is absolutely the one that outshines all of them. With the giant apes scaling the skyscraper and being attacked by swarming biplanes in the movie, this original scene was shot in the studio. However, for the 50th anniversary in 1983, a balloon company president tried to re-create it. They attached an inflatable King Kong to the mooring mast of the building. However, the 84-foot Kong balloon suffered a tear as it was being inflated. But it was later inflated a few days later, after which it suffered another tear.
Also Read: 17 Fronds, 17 Jaw-Dropping Facts About Palm Jumeirah That Will Blow Your Mind!
5. An Art Deco Ceiling In The Lobby
During the restoration, the art deco 24-foot-tall lobby ceiling was painted metallic silver and gold. The original ceiling, a tribute to the machine age, had been severely damaged. So, the recreated murals were installed on the new ceiling just below the original. As a result, it conserves the extant portion of the original work. This recreation was painstakingly done using 23-carat gold and aluminium leaf. It’s in the building’s Fifth Avenue lobby, and a masterpiece that one cannot miss.
Who knew that besides being an iconic building in the city, it has so many surprising facts? Were you aware of these?
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/FilippoBacci from Getty Images Signature
