Iconic Empire State Building Enriches Visitor Experience With New Documentary-Style Exhibit on 80th Floor
By Empire State Building, PRNESunday, July 17, 2011
NEW YORK, July 18, 2011 -
Permanent Installation
Chronicles the Engineering and Construction of the World’s Most
Famous Office Building
In its 80th anniversary year, the Empire State Building today
unveiled a new, permanent exhibit that captures the global icon’s
astonishing history, engineering and construction. Curated by
Carol Willis of New York City’s Skyscraper Museum, the installation
is located on the 80th floor of the World’s Most Famous Office
Building and further enriches and enhances each visitor’s
Observatory experience.
(Photo:
)
Anthony E. Malkin, Empire State Building Company, stated, “As
part of our more than $550 million Empire State ReBuilding program,
we have completely upgraded our Observatory experience. From
our brilliantly restored art deco masterpiece lobby, to this
celebration of the unprecedented and unmatched feats of engineering
and construction of the Empire State Building, we have created a
totally new offering to our millions of annual visitors.” He added,
“The new 80th floor exhibit’s homage to the pioneering work of the
architects, builders, and laborers of the day adds to our $2
million, multi-media exhibit about the groundbreaking work on
energy efficiency performed at the building and offers educational
value for every visitor.”
With content from The Skyscraper Museum’s archives, the exhibit
illustrates three main themes:
- Speed: Construction took only 11 months from the
setting of the tower’s first steel columns on April 7, 1930, to the
completed building by March 31, 1931-a full month before the
official opening ceremonies on May 1, 1931. - Scale: Gigantic in every dimension, the record-breaking
tower required immense amounts of materials and equipment to build
what is still one of the tallest and largest man made structures in
the world - Steel: The building’s steel frame was intricately
designed with remarkable proportions, and all aspects of its
construction remain extraordinary, even today
The exhibit shares numerous remarkable facts as well as
reproductions of nostalgic photos and mementos of the more than
3,400 workers who helped create history. Documents include stunning
period photographs, architectural sketches and renderings,
construction notes, and daily bookkeeping documents presented on a
series of photomurals, banners, two panels and seven stands. In a
unique twist, the exhibit uses the windows of the building to show
views from 1931, creating a period look unimaginable unless
seen.
Empire State Building visitors view the exhibit along route to
the world-famous 86th and 102nd floor Observatories. The
building is open daily, 365 days a year, from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.
For more information on the Empire State Building, please
visit www.esbnyc.com.
About the Empire State Building
Soaring 1,454 feet (from base to antenna) above Midtown
Manhattan, the Empire State Building is the “World’s
Most Famous Office Building.”
With new investments in infrastructure, public areas and amenities,
the Empire State Building has attracted first-rate tenants in a
diverse array of industries from around the world. The skyscraper’s
robust broadcasting technology supports all major television and FM
radio stations in the New York metropolitan market. The Empire
State Building was named America’s favorite building in a poll
conducted by the American Institute of Architects. The Empire State
Building Observatory is one of the world’s most beloved attractions
and is the region’s #1 tourist destination. For more information on
the Empire State Building, please visit
or
Media Contacts: Edelman Public Relations
Daniel Hernandez Lyon, +1-212-277-3738,
Blair Garson, +1-212-704-4494,
.
Tags: Empire State Building, July 18, New York
