Empire State Building Facts for Kids

A Picture of the Empire State Building
  • Name: Empire State Building
  • Location: New York City, New York, USA
  • Address: 20 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001
  • Building Style: Art Deco
  • Built: Between 1930 and 1931
  • Cost to Build: $555 million (2018 USD)

27 Empire State Building Facts for Kids

  1. The Empire State Building is a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, USA.
  2. The Empire State Building is used primarily as an office building and has an observatory deck for tourists.
  3. The address of the Empire State Building is 20 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001.
  4. The architectural style used in the design of the Empire State Building was Art Deco.
  5. The Empire State Building was designed by the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon.
  6. It took one year and 25 days to build the Empire State Building.
  7. Construction of the Empire State Building started on March 17th, 1930.
  8. Construction of the Empire State Building was completed on April 11th, 1931.
  9. The Empire State Building officially opened on May 1st, 1931.
  10. The height of the Empire State Building is 1,454 feet with the antennae included.
  11. The height of the Empire State Building measured to the roof is 1,250 feet.
  12. The height of the Empire State Building measured to the top floor is 1,224 feet.
  13. The Empire State Building was the world’s tallest building between 1931 and 1970.
  14. The Empire State Building was the first building ever to exceed 100 floors.
  15. The Empire State Building has 102 floors that cover over 2.2 million square feet.
  16. The Empire State Building has 73 elevators to move people between its 102 floors.
  17. The current owner of the Empire State Building is the Empire State Realty Trust.
  18. A few notable tenants of the Empire State Building are LinkedIn, Air China, Bulova and Shutterstock.
  19. In 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building because of fog.
  20. In 1982, the Empire State Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
  21. In 1983, the Empire State Building was designated as a National Historic Landmark.
  22. In 1987, the Empire State Building Run-up race was started and continues to be held each year. The race has a vertical distance of 1,050 feet and 1,576 stairs. The best record to date is 9 minutes and 33 seconds.
  23. In 2000, an elevator suddenly dropped 40 feet. Luckily, the occupants only sustained minor injuries.
  24. In 2007, a study by the American Institute of Architects revealed that the Empire State Building is considered the United States’ favorite building.
  25. In 2012, the lights on top of the Empire State Building were replaced. The old metal halide lamps were replaced with 1,200 LED fixtures. This increased the colors available from none to more than 16 million.
  26. The Empire State Building was featured in the 1996 film Independence Day and destroyed by an alien ship.
  27. According to the Guinness World Records, the Empire State Building was the location for the longest elevator fall to be survived by a human. On July 28th, 1945, Betty Lou Oliver survived a 75 story plunge in an elevator. The plunge was caused by a B-25 Mitchell bomber that crashed into the Empire State Building.

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