Most visitors and locals alike would tag the Empire State Building as the city’s most iconic building. It’s an integral part of the skyline and exemplifies the city’s style and strength. We can’t imagine NYC without it. At Arlo SoHo we’re always looking to surprise and delight our guests with vibrant and energetic places to visit. In that spirit, we offer some surprising facts about the Empire State Building that are certain to entertain the mind.
The building’s construction took a mere 14 months. This compares to the six years it required to build the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It’s especially impressive considering the Empire State Building was completed 90 years ago in 1931, a completely different era. The project required up to 3,400 workers at a time and required innovations such as a railway and other new ways to move bricks and other materials.
The Empire State Building’s design was inspired by architect William F. Lamb’s other buildings, including the Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem and the Carew Tower in Cincinnati. This explains how the architect team drew up plans for perhaps the most recognizable building in the world in just two months.
Did you know that since the Empire State Building was completed during the Great Depression, the owners struggled to bring in tenants? Since its beginnings, thousands of companies have called the Empire State Building home, including LinkedIn, Bulova, and Citizen, among many others.
At Arlo SoHo we can’t help but talk about the Empire State Building’s outsized dimensions. It’s 1,454 feet at the tip and has 73 lifts and elevators. During holidays and special occasions, the building’s exterior lights are illuminated different colors, further solidifying its status as the cultural and literal heart of center of the city. The building also embraces our city’s fast past, with an elevator ride up from the lobby to the 89th floor taking about one minute. We wonder if that’s where the “New York Minute” phrase originated?
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