Empire State Building: Built in 410 Days, Nicknamed “The Empty State Building” for the First Decade

The Empire State Building was completed in 1931 and was the world’s tallest building for 41 years. It was also a commercial disaster for most of its early life. Completed during the Depression, it struggled to find tenants. The nickname “Empty State Building” circulated widely among New Yorkers in the 1930s and 1940s, and the building only became consistently profitable thanks to the observation deck. The deck opened the same year as the building and was the reliable income source while the office floors sat partly vacant.

The building stands at 443 metres to the roof antenna, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The Art Deco style – limestone and granite cladding, the setbacks that give the silhouette its distinctive staircase profile – was both aesthetic choice and a legal requirement. New York’s 1916 zoning law required buildings to step back from the street line as they rose, to allow light and air to reach the street.

The Observation Decks

The 86th floor observatory at 320 metres is the standard experience. The outdoor wraparound terrace here has been in operation continuously since 1931 and is what most visitors come for: open air, the Manhattan grid visible in all four directions, the Hudson and East Rivers framing the island, and on a clear day visibility to five states. The interior enclosed section handles colder and windier conditions.

The 102nd floor observatory at 373 metres requires a separate ticket add-on. The space is smaller and enclosed; the views are marginally higher, the crowd is noticeably thinner, and the experience is worth adding if the view is your primary reason for visiting.

The basic 86th floor ticket runs around $44 for adults. Buy online; walk-up adds queuing time and a price premium. Timed entry tickets are available and recommended for summer weekends.

When to Go

The deck is open until midnight (last lift 11:15pm). The views after dark, when the Manhattan grid is lit from below, are a different and arguably better experience than daytime. Evening queues are shorter. Avoid midday in summer: longest queues, harshest light, most competition for rail space.

On overcast days, cloud often sits below the 86th floor level. You will be inside cloud rather than above it. Check the forecast before booking a same-day ticket.

The Building vs Alternatives

The Empire State Building is not the tallest observatory in New York. One World Observatory at the top of One World Trade Center is taller, and the views south over the harbour and bridges are more complete. The Top of the Rock at 30 Rockefeller Plaza is lower but gives an unobstructed direct view of the Empire State Building from the north – which is one of the great building photographs in the city, and unavailable from the building itself.

If you are photographing the Empire State Building rather than from it, go to Top of the Rock. If you want the classic New York experience of standing on an open deck with the city in every direction, the 86th floor terrace is the correct choice.

The Neighbourhood

Koreatown (W 32nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) is two blocks south and has the best concentrated Korean restaurant district in New York, with several 24-hour operations. Eataly on Fifth and 23rd has Italian market food for lunch. Madison Square Park at 23rd and Madison has the original Shake Shack location, though the queue there is longer than at other locations for no tangible quality reason.

The Art Deco lobby on the ground floor is open to the public without an observatory ticket. The ceiling and murals are worth 10 minutes regardless.