If you’re standing on the corner of 34th and Fifth in Manhattan, looking up at that massive limestone needle, you’re basically looking at a miracle of spite. Most people ask what year the empire state building was built and expect a simple date, like 1931. While that’s technically when the ribbon was cut, the real story is much faster and weirder than a single year on a plaque.
It was a race.
Specifically, a race between Walter Chrysler and John Jakob Raskob. They hated each other, or at least, they really wanted to out-ego one another with steel and rivets. Raskob, the founder of General Motors, looked at the Chrysler Building—which was already under construction—and decided he needed something taller. He hired Shreve, Lamb & Harmon to draw up plans, and they basically just kept adding height until it hit 1,250 feet.
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The Breakneck Pace of 1930 and 1931
The actual construction started on St. Patrick’s Day in 1930. Think about that for a second. The Great Depression was hitting its stride. Bread lines were forming. Yet, here were thousands of men, many of them Mohawk ironworkers from the Kahnawake reservoir near Montreal, scurrying across steel beams hundreds of feet in the air without a single harness.
They weren't just working. They were sprinting.
The building rose at a rate of 4.5 stories per week. Honestly, it’s a pace we can’t even match today with all our modern computers and safety regulations. By the time the calendar flipped to 1931, the skeleton was basically done. President Herbert Hoover pressed a button in Washington D.C. on May 1, 1931, and the lights flickered on for the first time.
So, if you need the short answer for a trivia night: construction began in 1930 and finished in 1931.
Total time? One year and 45 days.
That is absolutely insane. You can barely get a kitchen remodeled in 410 days now, let alone build the tallest skyscraper in the world.
Why the 1930s Timeline Matters So Much
The timing wasn't just about winning a bet. It was about survival. Because it was built during the deepest part of the Depression, labor was cheap and people were desperate for work. At the peak, 3,400 workers were on-site daily.
But there’s a dark side to that speed. The official tally says five workers died during the project. Some historians think that number might be slightly higher due to "unofficial" injuries, but compared to other projects of that scale, it was remarkably low. They were building a city in the sky while the city on the ground was going broke.
You’ve probably seen the "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper" photo, right? The one with the guys sitting on a beam? While that was actually taken at the Rockefeller Center, it perfectly captures the vibe of the Empire State's construction era. It was a time of terrifying heights and zero safety nets.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 1931 Opening
Even though what year the empire state building was built is officially 1931, the building was a bit of a ghost town for a long time. They called it the "Empty State Building."
Why? Because nobody could afford the rent.
New York was broke. The building stayed half-empty for years. In its first year, the observation deck made more money than all the office leases combined. People would pay their 10 cents just to see the view, but businesses weren't exactly lining up to move their headquarters to 34th Street when they were filing for bankruptcy.
It didn't actually turn a profit until after World War II.
The Dirigible Myth
One of the coolest, and most ridiculous, things about the original 1931 design was the "mooring mast." The very top of the building—the spire—wasn't supposed to be an antenna. It was supposed to be a docking station for zeppelins.
Raskob and his team seriously thought people would fly in from Germany on a Hindenburg-style airship, climb down a gangplank at 1,200 feet, and walk into the building. They tried it exactly twice. The wind currents at that height were so violent that the blimps were tossing around like toys. One guy almost got swept away. They realized pretty quickly that docking a giant balloon to a skyscraper was a terrible idea, so they turned it into a broadcast tower instead.
Breaking Down the Materials
If you want to understand the scale of what happened between 1930 and 1931, look at the shopping list:
- 60,000 tons of steel.
- 10 million bricks.
- 70 miles of water pipes.
- 6,500 windows.
All of this was hauled through the streets of Manhattan without the benefit of modern trucking or logistics software. It was pure muscle and steam power. The limestone came from Indiana, the marble from Italy, and the steel from Pennsylvania.
The Evolution After 1931
The building didn't just stop changing once it was "built." In 1950, they added that massive telecommunications spire, which bumped the height up even further. Then there’s the lighting.
Originally, they used massive searchlights. In 1976, they started using the colored floodlights we see today to celebrate the Bicentennial. Now, it’s all LED, and they can change the colors with a few clicks on a laptop. But the bones—the actual structure—remain exactly as they were when those ironworkers hammered the last rivets in 1931.
The 1945 Incident
You can't talk about the history of the building without mentioning the time a B-25 Mitchell bomber literally crashed into the 79th floor. It was July 1945. A pilot got lost in thick fog and slammed right into the side of the building.
The building didn't even flinch.
Well, it flinched, but it didn't collapse. It’s a testament to the over-engineering of the early 30s. They built things so heavy and so solid back then that a twin-engine bomber couldn't bring it down. An elevator operator named Betty Lou Oliver actually survived a 75-story plunge in an elevator after the crash cables snapped. She holds the world record for that.
Why the Empire State Building Still Matters
Modern skyscrapers like the Burj Khalifa or the One World Trade Center are taller. They’re shinier. They have faster elevators and better air conditioning.
But they don't have the soul of a building built in 410 days during a global economic collapse.
The Empire State Building represents a specific moment in American history when we decided to go big because we had nothing left to lose. It wasn't just about office space. It was a giant "screw you" to the Depression.
When you ask what year the empire state building was built, you’re asking about the year New York decided to stop being afraid of the future.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Visit
If you're planning to visit this Art Deco masterpiece, don't just walk in and head for the elevator.
- Check the Lobby First. The gold leaf and marble in the lobby are original. It’s some of the best Art Deco architecture on the planet. Look for the depiction of the building itself on the wall; it doesn't include the antenna because the antenna wasn't there in 1931.
- Go Late. Most tourists crowd the observation deck at sunset. If you go at 11:00 PM (check current hours, as they change), the city lights are just as good, and the wind sounds hauntingly beautiful against the limestone.
- Look for the 80th Floor Exhibit. Most people skip the 80th floor to rush to the 86th-floor deck. Don't. There’s an incredible exhibit there about the construction workers and the 1930s era that puts the whole thing in perspective.
- Spot the Spire. Look at the very top and try to imagine a 700-foot zeppelin trying to dock there. It’s hilarious once you realize how small that space actually is.
The Empire State Building isn't just a skyscraper; it’s a time capsule from 1931 that we still get to walk through today. It reminds us that even when the world feels like it's falling apart, we can still build something that lasts a century.
To get the most out of your trip, I'd suggest booking your tickets at least two weeks in advance. The lines for the 86th-floor observatory can get brutal, especially during the summer or around the holidays. If you really want the premium experience, the 102nd-floor floor-to-ceiling window deck is worth the extra cash, but the 86th-floor open-air deck is where you get the "classic" New York wind-in-your-face feeling.
Don't forget to look at the lights before you leave. They change almost every night based on what's happening in the world. It's a living, breathing part of the skyline.
If you're interested in more New York history, look into the "Manhattan Company" building (now 40 Wall Street). It was the third player in that 1930 skyscraper race and held the title of "tallest" for exactly two months before the Chrysler Building cheated by hiding a spire inside its roof. The 1930s were a wild time for architects.
The Empire State Building stood as the tallest building in the world for 40 years until the World Trade Center went up in 1971. That’s a record that likely won't be broken again. It’s the undisputed king of the New York skyline for a reason.