Empire State Building Facts

Empire State Building Facts for Kids

• The main deck is the highest open-air viewpoint in all of New York and probably the most famous in the world. Lots of scenes for both television shows and movies have been filmed here. It runs around the entire building. You can see the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan, Central Park, Times Square and a lot more. There are also binoculars to help visitors focus in on the details of the city.
• From the top deck, the view is even more impressive. If it’s not too cloudy, visitors can see up to 80 miles in any direction. In fact, on good days you can even see beyond the state of New York to New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
• It is said that it was built because of a competition between two American businessmen, Walter Chrysler of the Chrysler Corporation and John Jakob Raskob of General Motors. They wanted to see who could build the tallest building. The Chrysler Building was already being constructed when work started on the Empire State Building. Raskob asked architect William Lamb to design his building which, in the end, won the competition!
• Around 3,400 workers helped to build the skyscraper. It took just 410 days, which was much faster than people had thought. The building got its name from New York’s nickname: the Empire State. It was the world’s tallest skyscraper from 1931 until the former World Trade Center was built in 1973.
• There are lots of stores, restaurants and bars in the Empire State Building, from a sushi restaurant to a juice bar, a pharmacy to the Empire State Building’s official store. Lots of businesses also have their offices here. That’s why it actually has its very own zip code – 10118!
• The building’s lights change color during the year to honor different occasions and organizations. The LED lights can sparkle in 16 million different colors and can light up in time with music.
• The Empire State Building is built in the Art Deco Style, with lots of geometric designs. In 2009, work began to restore the inside of the lobby to its original 1930s’ design.
• By 1976, 50 million people had visited the observation decks of the Empire State Building. Each year, around four million people visit!
• On Valentine’s Day, people can get married on the top of the Empire State Building – but not on any other day of the year! There is a competition each year that couples can enter. Those that win are allowed to get married at the Empire State Building!
• There are 6,514 windows and 73 elevators in the building. From ground level to the 102nd floor, there are 1,872 steps. There’s an annual race to the 86th floor in which competitors must run up 1,576 steps!
• The outside of the skyscraper was cleaned for the first time in 1962. It took 30 people six months to wash the building completely!
• The Empire State Building is apparently hit by lightning around 25 times each year.