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The Empire State Building is a 102-story art deco skyscraper in Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by William Lamb and built by Starrett brothers and Eken. The building is primarily an office building but is also a popular tourist attraction with observation decks and exhibits. It was completed in 1931 and was the tallest building in the world for over 40 years. The building is made of limestone, marble, steel, and glass and has a pinnacle that houses transmission towers and a lightning rod.
The Empire State Building is a popular tourist attraction in New York City. It’s a 102-story building that was the tallest skyscraper in the world for more than 40 years. The building is located at the intersection of West 34th Street and Fifth Avenue in the borough of Manhattan. This building was built to be an office building, but still draws millions of tourists each year to its two observation decks for views over New York City.
The Empire State Building was designed and built in the art deco style, typical of pre-World War II architecture. William Lamb, an architect at Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, designed the building, inspired by the style of another prominent architect, Eliel Saarinen. The exterior of the building is constructed of limestone and marble, accented with steel and glass finishes. The Starrett brothers and Eken were the general contractors on the construction project, financed by John J. Raskob and Pierre S. du Pont.
Construction on the building began on March 17, 1930. During construction, the building grew an average of four and a half stories a week. The Empire State Building was completed and opened to the public on May 1, 1931. The building itself reaches 1,250 feet (381 meters) in height, crowned by a 203-foot (62-meter) pinnacle. Originally intended to be an airship dock, the pinnacle now houses more transmission towers and a lightning rod that deflects lightning away from other buildings in the area. Until 1950, the building was not a profitable venture, and in 1951 it was sold in what was the largest real estate deal for a single building in its time: $51 million US dollars.
While the Empire State Building’s primary function is as an office building — it houses more than 1,000 businesses — it may be one of New York City’s most popular tourist attractions. More than 110 million people have visited the observatory decks atop the iconic building for panoramic views of the New York City skyline. The Empire State Building’s interior also houses exhibits related to movies that have been filmed in or on the building, as well as its history and construction. New York visitors might also notice the changing colors of the lights atop the building. Floodlights were added in 1964 and the colors can be changed to suit holidays and other symbolic events.
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