The Empire State Building is probably the most famous skyscraper in the world. If you’re planning a trip to the Empire State Building, here are some fun facts that will add extra enjoyment to your visit.
Empire State Building History and other Fun Facts
Probably the most famous skyscraper in the world, the Empire State Building was built in 1930-1931. 102 stories high, it was the first building in the world to have more than 100 floors. Deliberately built to be the tallest building in the world, the Empire State Building held that title until 1972, when the World Trade Center’s North Tower (destroyed on 9/11) was completed. Considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, the Empire State Building is a designated New York City and national historical landmark.
One thing everybody wants to know is: How tall is the Empire State Building? From street level to its 102nd Floor, the Empire State Building is 1250 feet (381 meters) tall; adding the height of its pinnacle brings it to 1454 feet (443 meters) tall. There are 1860 steps from street level to the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building. Every year, runners participate in the Empire State Run-Up, racing up the 1576 steps that go to the 86th Floor of the Empire State Building.
The Empire State Building gets its name from the nickname of New York State, which is the “Empire State”. Most of the Empire State Building is used for offices; its famous observation deck, which have been visited by more than 100 million people from all over the world, are located on the 86th and 102nd Floors. Known around the world just by its name, there is an actual Empire State Building address: 350 Fifth Avenue. It’s located in the 10001 zip code area, but the Empire State Building has its own zip code, 10118.
Empire State Building on the Silver Screen
It’s on view in dozens of movies, but the Empire State Building’s most famous film appearance was in the 1933 classic King Kong, when the title character carries actress Fay Wray to the top of building (actually a small scale model) before falling to his death on the street below. (When Fay Wray died in 2004, all the lights on the Empire State Building were turned off for 15 minutes in tribute.)
The Empire State Building plays a more romantic role as the scene of an ill-fated lovers’ rendezvous in Love Affair (1939) and its 1957 remake An Affair to Remember. In Sleepless in Seattle (1993), the couple finally gets it right, meeting and falling in love at the Empire State Building Observatory. Less happily, the Empire State Building has been destroyed in a number of disaster films, including Independence Day (1996), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and Fail-Safe (1994). But the oddest movie featuring the Empire State Building has Andy Warhol’s Empire (1964), which consists of one eight-hour-long black-and-white shot of the iconic building at night.
Empire State Building Tour
The Empire State Building Observatory is open every day of the year, from 8am-2am. You can purchase audio Empire State Building tours and take a self-guided tour, which includes explanations of seven views from the Observatory Deck. Once you’re at the Empire State Building, be sure to check out NY SKYRIDE, a virtual aerial tour simulator of the city. Located on the 2nd Floor of the Empire State Building, NY SKYRIDE is a 30-minute-long “journey” around New York City, featuring nearly three dozen of the Big Apple’s famous landmarks.