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Empire State Building (view source)
Revision as of 02:09, November 22, 2009
, 02:09, November 22, 2009no edit summary
The '''Empire State Building''' is a privately owned office building completed in 1931 during the [[Great Depression]] as the tallest building in the world, a distinction it enjoyed for decades until it was surpassed by the [[World Trade Center]] in 1972. It is the tallest building in New York City. To this day the Empire State Building is considered by a random poll of Americans to be their favorite piece of American architecture.<ref>http://www.aia.org/press2_template.cfm?pagename=release_020707_150Buildings</ref> It is also considered the most fire-proof building in America.<ref>http://vincentdunn.com/wtc.html</ref> Architect [[William F. Lamb]] (1883 – 1952) was the principal designer.
The '''Empire State Building''' is a privately owned office building completed in 1931 during the [[Great Depression]] as the tallest building in the world, a distinction it enjoyed for decades until it was surpassed by the [[World Trade Center]] in 1972. It is the tallest building in New York City. To this day the Empire State Building is considered by a random poll of Americans to be their favorite piece of American architecture.<ref>http://www.aia.org/press2_template.cfm?pagename=release_020707_150Buildings</ref> It is also considered the most fire-proof building in America.<ref>http://vincentdunn.com/wtc.html</ref> Architect [[William F. Lamb]] (1883 – 1952) was the principal designer.
<blockquote>
The Empire State Building is the symbol of [[New York]], just as the Eiffel Tower is to [[Paris]]
and Big Ben is to [[London]]. It is still the biggest tourist attraction in the biggest tourist city in the world. Beautifully finished in the [[Art Deco]] style, the vertical lines of the structure give it the appearance of a soaring spire that rises one-fifth of a mile high. This famous
skyscraper is also an engineering masterpiece supported by an elastic steel skeleton.
The design was the finest work of architect William Lamb, Chief designer for the firm of
Shreve, Laub, and Harmon. The "tallest building" when it was finished in April 1931, it lost
its title in the 1970's to both Chicago's Sear's Tower and the World Trade Center in New
York. It remains, however, New York city's most widely recognized architectural symbol. [http://www.nps.gov/nhl/designations/samples/ny/empire.pdf]
</blockquote>
The Empire State Building contains steel reinforced by concrete, making it extremely fire-proof. Deputy Chief Fire Department of New York (F.D.N.Y.) Vincent Dunn (ret.) wrote:<ref>''Id.''</ref>
The Empire State Building contains steel reinforced by concrete, making it extremely fire-proof. Deputy Chief Fire Department of New York (F.D.N.Y.) Vincent Dunn (ret.) wrote:<ref>''Id.''</ref>