Well known structures - Empire State Building - Information for small kids
You will find this skyscraper in Manhattan, New York, USA and it has 103 floors and was designed by William Lamb.
The building has 103 floors and at roof height is 1250 ft (381 m) tall. The height when including the antenna spire is 1454 ft (443.2 m).
3400 workers took part in the building of the Empire State Building and if you look at records from that time, it shows that 500 men died during the construction in 1930.
It took 410 days to finish the building and it was faster as what they planned - remember it was 1930, they did not have the machinery they have today, but still they build this magnificent building which is still a landmark today.
The building was officially opened on 1 May 1931 by president Hoover when he switched on the lights. Up to today the building is lit every night and it changes colours according to certain events that it celebrates. Watch the video on the special lights that were on to get the people to take notice of endangered species. You can also read more about the lights here.
Some random facts about this building
- there are 6514 windows
- there are 1872 stairs and a yearly race is held where the athletes have to run up to the 86 th floor which is 1576 steps
- 73 elevators make sure that people and cargo get to their destination
- the building has its own zip code 10118
The building itself cost $24,718,000 to build, when the cost of the land is included this figure climbs to $40,948,900. This cost was less than half of the total anticipated cost due to the Great Depression.
- at the top of the building is a lightning rod and this it struck about 23 times per year
The Empire State Building is a well known land mark and visited by thousands of tourists every year. On the 86 th and 102 nd floor you will find decks from where you can look out over the whole city.
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