A Race to the Sky

More than any other building in the world, the Empire State Building represents the ambition of humans to build towers that reach for the skies. This skyscraper is probably New York’s best known building and can be seen on many postcards.

Building of skyscrapers started from a race of two people! John Jakob Raskob (previously a vice president of General Motors) hired Shreve, Lamb & Harmon to be the architects for his new building. It is said that Raskob pulled a thick pencil out of a drawer and held it up to William Lamb and asked, “Bill, how high can you make it so that it won’t fall down?” The race was getting very competitive. With the thought of wanting to make the Empire State Building higher, Raskob himself came up with the solution. After examining a scale model of the proposed building, Raskob said, “It needs a hat!” Looking toward the future, Raskob decided that the “hat” would be used as a docking station for dirigibles. The new design for the Empire State Building, including the dirigible mooring mast, would make the building 1,250 tall. Planning the tallest building in the world was only half the battle: they still had to build the towering structure and the quicker the better.

When the Empire State Building opened on May 1, 1931, it was the tallest building in the world standing at 1,250 feet in height. This building not only became an icon of New York City, it became a symbol of twentieth century man’s attempts to achieve the impossible. It took just one year and 45 days to build the Empire State Building, and that was an amazing feat! The Empire State Building came in on time and under budget.

Most people visit the Empire State Building’s observation deck on the 86th floor from where it is possible to see a magnificent view over the city of New York. NY Skyride is the premier New York Sightseeing tourist attraction and offers New York’s one and only virtual tour simulator. It is an exciting adventure tour of New York City located on the second floor of the Empire State Building. Narrated by actor Kevin Bacon, the NY Skyride is a unique experience that takes guests on a virtual tour of New York City.

The Empire State Building had become not only the tallest building in the world but also keep that record until the completion of the World Trade Center in New York City in 1972.