[Jake]

Now with the One World Trade Center set to be New York City's tallest building, the Empire State Building is relegated, once again, to second place.

Considering the emotion and drive to build on what was a tragic destructive event, One World Trade Center deserves the title. However, the Empire State Building deserves its place as probably the most recognizable skyscraper in New York.

The Empire State Building was built on where the old Waldorf Astoria Hotel once stood, in Midtown Manhattan. Now in that time Mid-town was not a place to build skyscrapers, because office space that far north of the business and financial district was just absurd. Most of them were, and are, Downtown, as was much of the money-commercialization-population-density.

Work on the building began on March 17, 1930 (after two months' excavation), St. Patrick's Day. The president of the Empire State Inc. was Al Smith, an Irish immigrant's son from the Lower East Side and hugely popular governor of New York, and hence the symbolic commencement day. This occurred at the height of the Depression, and though doom and gloom prevailed, the building grew and grew. We all have seen at least one of the classic Lewis Hines photos of the men who worked on the building, classics and landmarks in their own right.

Construction of the massive building, built in haste, and under the economic pressure that befitted the Depression era, took under 15 months, and was way under budget both time-wise and money-wise. This was, and is, remarkable and awe-inspiring.

You can see the Empire State Building from every Borough in New York, something you can't say for the others, as it is built in Midtown and on a higher elevation than its surroundings, giving added effect.

My favorite view from a skyscraper in New York is from the Top of the Rock, looking over to the Empire State Building.

It is my favorite skyscraper by far, as much for its iconic look as for its history.

So in celebration of the One World Trade Center taking its deserved place as New York's tallest skyscraper, I choose to celebrate as well the perennial runner-up, but a winner nonetheless.

[ToddGordon]

Amazing, Jake, that it took less than 15 months to complete.

It certainly is one of the most iconic buildings in the world - although I also have a particular fondness for the Chrysler Building too.

[sschweiger]

As a native New Yorker & my two cents -- I LIKED the Empire State Building, but I didn't LOVE it! I LOVED The Chrysler Building; The late, lamented World Trade Center Twin Towers; The Flatiron Building; & The Metropolitan Life Insurance Building!

[johnofphilly]

The symmetry of the Empire State AKA Al Smith Building was typical in the thirties. Reminds me of the Rush Building in San Francisco (perhaps only 20 floors) in its symmetrical structure.

This new WTC at least has an obelisquish shape like our biggest in Philly, as opposed to the ugly refrigerator-box style of its predecessor. A few more floors in a few months, then next year the spire to make the height higher (isn't that a bit disingenuous?)

The Flatiron Building - the real one in New York, very impressive. They have a little baby copycat in San Francisco.

Yo, Jake - so much for the Alfred E. Smith Building - we need to elect an Alfred E. Newman Building. Rick has an office in the area - maybe he knows of a nomination.

[Dina]

I love the Empire State Building. It's iconic in so many ways. Here it is, illuminated in blue, in tribute to Frank.

[Jake]

Oh, I think the Chrysler Building is fine too, and built in a better area than the Empire State building is. It was the tallest building for a very short while, taken over a few months later by the Empire state Building. The Fuller Building is fine as well, the flatiron shape is unique. I like the Woolworth Building, lots of nickels and dimes put in to that thing, and was never built on credit.

I thought the first World Trade Center looked like that monolith in 2001 A Space odyssey, and like the movie I never understood the building, how they could replace a vibrant radio ave community with that monstrosity.

The Gillender Building, one of the early skyscrapers on the northwest corner of Nassau and Wall St. http://gillenderbuilding.blogspot.it...ears-1897.html has always fascinated me, because I think it looked great, but was built in an area which doomed it from the start.

I like the Empire state Building because it also captivated the lost dreams of the Roaring 20s, with docking bays for Zeppelin dirigibles. F Scott Fitzgerald, not a native New Yorker but who took the city to his heart and elevated it through his writing, hated the Empire State Building because from the top you could see the green areas beyond the seemingly endless city, showing that even New York had its limits....

[Jake]

The Empire State Building is based on Art Deco design, but it is not entirely Art Deco, as it is not symmetric, particularly in the lower mid section.

[Tina...]

You can always tell a tourist in NYC, they're the ones looking up LOL!

" And You Know Your Fate Is, Where The Empire State Is, All You Contemplate Is , The View From Miss Liberty's Dome "

NYC is magnificent magical and marvellous.

[MikeHOU]

[Jake]

Wow! Mike, now I wonder, which are the photoshopped photos, the ones without King Kong or the ones with King Kong!

Interesting to note below the tail of the biplane -what I believe is a Sopwith Camel but not sure - are the twin towers of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, relocated to make way for the Empire State Building.

[ToddGordon]

If it weren't for copyright restrictions, I would be sorely tempted to upload the famous photo by Charles Clyde Ebbets with the NY workmen having lunch whilst sitting on a crossbeam during the construction of the RCA Building in 1932.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunch_atop_a_Skyscraper

Still makes me feel queasy just looking at it!

[Tina...]

They still work like that, jumping across the beams, no harness - I watched a series of documentaries following the building of the new Trade Centre, sons and their fathers and their fathers before them, keeping tradition . It was scary to watch at times.

[Jake]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m0TpUhylKc

My favorite documentary to watch. Ric Burns did a masterful job, in my opinion, this part deals with the Empire State Building.

[Jake]

Two of my favorite statesmen, and their upbringing couldn't be further apart... Lower East Sider Al Smith and cousin to the Duke of Marlborough Winston Churchill.

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/it...aid-mr-winston

...and Al Smith shows Winston Churchill who is the master at the one liners!!! Excellent!

[Keith]

Great pic Mike

[MikeHOU]

Originally Posted by Keith

Great pic Mike

Hey Keith - saw it a few days ago and couldn't resist. My apologies to Jake

I was born and raised only about 20 miles north of the Empire State Building but, probably like many New Yorkers, was never in it.

I did make it to the top of the Twin Towers several times and it seemed we were looking down on the Empire State Building. Here is one shot taken around 1977.

The view from the top of the Twin Towers was breath taking to say the least.

[Jake]

Wonderful photo, Mike! I was on the Empire State Building, but like the Eiffel Tower, I prefer to see it from a distance and not be on it.

About your photo, however, I think it's flipped horizontally, as you can clearly see Washington Square Arch and the beginning of Fifth Ave, and Fifth Ave, when viewed from the south, is to the right of the Empire State Building. Sixth Ave also slants diagonally towards the northwest, not east. If I may, I think this is the way you wanted to show it, Mike:

[MikeHOU]

I think you're right Jake.

If I recall, these were slides that got scanned in the wrong way. I think the whole lot of them are that way. I keep forgetting to fix them!

[Tina...]

I love the photos, made me go back and have a quick look again at my own. On my next visit to NYC hopefully next Spring, I will make sure I visit the Empire State Building at night, the view over the city must be fantastic all lit up.

Love how in the movie " Sleepless In Seattle" the windows light up with love hearts for Valentines Day.

[Jake]

I would also suggest Top of the Rock, Tina, as you have a great view of the Empire State Building from there!