William F. Lamb
Yasuo MatsuiArthur Loomis HarmonGregory Johnson
Empire State Building/Architects

Art Deco
An Art Deco Icon With its soaring height and signature design, the Empire State Building defines the New York City skyline. The world’s most magnificent Art Deco skyscraper, it’s a living piece of New York history and an instantly recognizable symbol of city culture today.

The Empire State Building. The Empire State Building was the highest building in the world for forty Years. The architects, Shreve, Lamb and Harmon Associates, were given the brief of creating the tallest building in the world. To achieve this they decided to use a steel frame as the basic construction technique.

This building is a classic example of Art Deco design; and it is so recognizable by millions of people that imagining it any other way is difficult at best — but this article from HomeAdvisor gives a glimpse into what the Empire State Building would look like if it were designed in nine other different styles of …

After demolishing the Waldorf-Astoria hotel—the plot’s previous occupant—contractors Starrett Brothers and Eken used an assembly line process to erect the new skyscraper in a brisk 410 days.

It was the tallest building in the world, reaching a height of 792 feet (241 m). Many of the early advances in skyscrapers can be directly attributed to the devastating fire that wiped out most of Chicago in 1871. City planners and architects turned to fireproof iron and steel instead of wood and masonry.

55 feet
The foundation of the Empire State building is 55 feet. The deep foundation allows the building to stand 1,454 feet tall, which made it the tallest…

10 million bricks
The exterior of the Empire State Building is composed of 200,000 cubic feet of Indiana limestone and granite, 10 million bricks and 730 tons of aluminum and stainless steel.

At its most basic, the Empire State Building was completed in the style called Art Deco, which was an influential style of design employed between roughly 1920 and 1939. Art Deco was a modernist style, meaning it focused on traits unique to the 20th century over stylistic traditions of the past.

The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. It was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931….

March 17, 1930
Empire State Building/Construction started

Since its construction, the Empire State Building has symbolized the technological prowess and economic strength of the United States.

Because the column grids were to be closely spaced, the open spaces in the building would be obstructed. As a result, there would be no column-free spaces on any of the building’s floors. The schedule on this project was as adventurous as the design. The project would be done, the architects planned, in only eighteen months.

They explained to the investors that the size and scope of the Empire State Building would create unusual problems. Ordinary building equipment would not suffice so they would have to design and purchase all new, custom pieces. They would sell that equipment and credit the investors with the difference when the project was complete.

Steel columns and beams were to be used to form a stable 3-D grid. Because the column grids were to be closely spaced, the open spaces in the building would be obstructed. As a result, there would be no column-free spaces on any of the building’s floors. The schedule on this project was as adventurous as the design.

Although it is no longer the tallest building in the world, the Empire State Building is a crowning achievement of architecture, a symbol of New York City, and most of all an amazing accomplishment in the field of commercial construction.