It’s the 80th birthday of the Empire State Building. Because I live downtown, I am lucky enough to see the Empire State Building on a pretty regular basis. I love taking photos of the building during the year. Enjoy and scroll for 6 fun facts.
Empire State Building Winter 2011
Empire State Building Night
Empire State Building Spring 2011
6 Fun Facts:
- May 1, 1931 – The Empire State Building officially opens.
- March 2, 1933 – The movie King Kong opens showing the iconic scene of the Giant Gorilla, King Kong climbing the Empire State Building. He dies.
- May 1, 1947 – The first suicide, Evelyn McHale jumps to her death. The Empire State Building soon puts up fences on the observation deck.
- July 4, 1976 – The first time the Empire State Building is lit up, the occasion – the Bicentennial. Since then, the building lights change for various special occasions like New York Sports teams big wins and Christmas.
- The Empire Sate Building is 1,250 feet tall, 102 stores and was the tallest building in New York City until the World Trade Center opened in 1972.
- The Empire State Building took 18 months to build and is in the process of half billion dollar renovation.
Empire State Building
34th Street and 5th Avenue
Good stuff. I love that they light it up at night and it changes colors based on what’s happening in the world.