Quick answer
The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, built in a record 1 year and 45 days and opened May 1, 1931. It was the world's tallest building, and its observatories, its star turn in King Kong, and its nightly tower lights make it the world's most famous building.
Full transcript
410 Days
The Empire State Building rose on the site of the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Construction began on March 17, 1930, with the goal of building the world's first 100-story tower, and the steel framework climbed four and a half stories a week. It was designed by the architects Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built by Starrett Bros. & Eken. In a record one year and 45 days, the 102-story building was done. On May 1, 1931, President Hoover pressed a button in Washington, DC, and the lights came on for the first time.
The Tallest, Then the Star
For four decades it was the tallest building in the world, and New Yorkers and visitors alike made it the city's biggest attraction within months of its opening. In 1933 King Kong climbed it on movie screens and made it the most famous building on earth. The observatory welcomed its 50 millionth visitor in 1976, the year colored floodlights first lit the tower red, white, and blue for the Bicentennial — the start of the nightly light shows that still run today. In 1978 the first Run-Up sent racers climbing more than 1,500 steps to the top, a tradition that continues every year.
Go Up
The building is 1,250 feet to the roof and 1,454 feet to the tip of its antenna, and the 102nd-floor observatory, fully renovated in 2019, sits near the very top. The main visitor entrance on West 34th Street, opened in 2018, leads past a scale model of the building before you even reach the elevators. Ride the elevator up about an hour before sunset, watch the lights come on across Manhattan, and stay until the tower lights above you switch on, sixteen million colors strong.