Brave Men Building the Empire State Building (1930). It took 410 days to build, 3400 workers to help construct, 5 lost their lives and for 40 years it stood as the world's tallest building. It opened in May 1931 during the Great Depression. However, due to its poor location at the time, many of the offices stood empty and for 20years it was dubbed the Empty State Building. In this Pathe News clip, men can be seen without safety ropes, precariously balancing on girders nearly 1000ft off the ground. Not a job for someone who suffers from vertigo! Subscribe to British Pathe: www.youtube.com Follow us on Twitter: @britishpathe (www.twitter.com Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com All 90000 British Pathe reels can be viewed and enjoyed on: www.britishpathe.com
The Empire State Building is cemented in both New York and US History. Built during the Depression, the building was the centre of a competition between Walter Chrysler (Chrysler Corp.) and John Jakob Raskob (creator of General Motors) to see who could build the tallest building. From the time the construction began on March 17, 1930, the building's steel frame rose at an average rate of four and a half floors per week. To speed construction, the building's posts, beams, windows and window frames were made in factories and put together on the site. 60000 tons of steel was brought in from the steel mills in Pennsylvania, 310 miles away, by train, barges and trucks Excavation Began: January 22, 1930 Construction Commenced: 17th March 1930 Framework rose at a rate of 4.5 stores per week. Total Time: One year and 45 days including Sundays and holidays. (Ahead of schedule). Man Hours: 7000000 Total Cost: $40948900 (including land) Building Alone: $24718000 (the onset of the Depression halved the anticipated cost of the building.) Foundation; 55 feet (16.7 meters) below ground Lobby: 47 feet (14.3 meters) above sea level Total Height: 1454 feet (1453 feet, 8 9/16th inches) or 443.2 meters to top of lightning rod. To 86th Floor Observatory: 1050 feet (320 meters) To 102nd Floor Tower: 1224 feet (373 meters) 102nd Floor to Tip: 230 feet Height of Antenna: 204 feet Floors: 103 Steps: 1860 from street level to 102nd floor Weight: 365000 tons Windows: 6500 Elevators: 73, including ...