The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in New York City. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. It stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931 until the construction of the World Trade Center North Tower in 1972.

The Empire State Building has been named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The building and its street floor interior are designated landmarks of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and confirmed by the New York City Board of Estimate. In 2007 it was reported by NewsMax.com that the Empire State Building is America's favorite work of

Empire State Building

architecture.With the World Trade Center destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, it is currently the tallest building in New York City and the second-tallest building in the United States, after the Sears Tower in Chicago.

The Empire State Building rises to 1,250 feet (381 m) at the 102nd floor, and its full structural height (including broadcast antenna) reaches 1,453 feet and 8 9/16th inches (443 m). The building is typically described as being 102 stories tall, although it has only 85 stories of commercial and office space (2,158,000 square feet), with an observation deck on the 86th floor. The remaining 16 stories represent the spire, which supports the antenna on top. The Empire State Building is the first building to have more than 100 floors. The building weighs approximately 330,000 metric tonnes. It has 6,500 windows, 73 elevators and there are 1,860 steps from street level to the 102nd floor. It has a total floor area of 2,200,000 square feet (200,000 square metres).

Unlike most of today's high-rise buildings, the Empire State Building features a classic façade. The modernistic stainless steel canopies of the entrances on 33rd and 34th Streets lead to two-story-high corridors around the elevator core, crossed by stainless steel and glass-enclosed bridges at the second floor level. The elevator core contains 67 elevators.

A series of setbacks causes the building to taper off with height.

The Empire State Building has one of the most popular outdoor observatories in the world, having been visited by over 110 million people. The 86th floor observation deck offers impressive 360-degree views of the city. There is a second observation deck on the 102nd floor that is open to the public. It was closed in 1999, but reopened in November 2005. Completely enclosed and much smaller, it may be closed on high-traffic days.

Reference: www.wikipedia.com