Empire State Building

New York City's soaring skyline wouldn't be the same without the Empire State Building. Reaching 1,250 feet, it hold the title of the seventh tallest building in the world. It remained the worlds tallest building for 41 years until the World Trade Center topped it off and seven followed. Built during the depression in 1930 and 1931, it cost a whopping 41 million dollars. The engineer who took on this giant project was H.G. Balcom. The design of the building changed 16 times during planning, but the 3,000 workers managed to pull it off in record timing, 1 year and 45 days, including holidays and Sundays. This skyscraper is made of 60,000 tons of steel, 200,000 cubic feet of Indiana limestone and granite, 10 million bricks, and 730 tons of aluminum and stainless steel. The Empire State Building contains 3,194,547 light bulbs, 50 miles of radiator pipe, 70 miles of water pipe, 1,060 miles of telephone cable, and 7,450 tons of refrigeration equipment. In 1945, a B-25 Bomber on its way to Newark Airport in New Jersey crashed into the 79th floor only causing minor damage luckily. One hundred tons of trash are removed from the building each month. A small known fact is that the building is designed to serve as a lighting rod for the surrounding area. It is struck about 100 times per year. There are 1,575 stairs to the top floor, the 86th, and Paul Crake holds the record of 10 minutes and 15 seconds to reach the 86th floor. The Empire State Building was one of the best crafted skyscrapers ever built and will always mount above the New York skyline.