Empire state building history construction

On a short list of the world’s most famous structures, the Empire State Building draws some 2.5 million visitors a year and remains a masterpiece of the Art Deco-type architecture that flourished in New York City in the 1920s.

Topping out at 1,250 feet upon completion in 1931, before stretching to 1,454 feet with the addition of the Alford Antenna in 1965, the Empire State Building reigned as the world’s tallest skyscraper until the World Trade Center towers were erected in the early 1970s. 

However, it wasn’t just the dizzying height that made it the “eighth wonder of the world,” it was the speed which saw the building rise from a dusty lot to the heavens in an astonishing time of one year and 45 days.

As described in John Tauranac's The Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark, The story begins with a collaboration between two prominent New Yorkers.

John J. Raskob was serving as chief financial officer of DuPont and General