The Empire State Building is the landmark book on one of the world’s most notable landmarks. Since its publication in 1995, John Tauranac’s book, focused on the inception and construction of the building, has stood as the most comprehensive account of the structure. Moreover, it is far more than a work in architectural history; Tauranac tells a larger story of the politics of urban development in and through the interwar years. In a new epilogue to the Cornell edition, Tauranac highlights the continuing resonance and influence of the Empire State Building in the rapidly changing post-9/11 cityscape.

It was to be a structure like no other: the largest and tallest skyscraper in the world. Initial plans for the Empire State Building called for an Art Deco masterwork to rise 1,000 feet, with 80 stories of rental space. The high-rise was to completely fill the 84,000-square-foot site of the former Waldorf-Astoria, then New Yorks most opulent hotel. Hopes were high that the Empire State Building would accelerate Midtown Manhattans stride toward commercial prominence, pulling more business uptown. Built in the early years of the Great Depression, during which one out of four New Yorkers was out of work, the Empire State Buildings construction was thought by many to be a foolish undertaking. Yet, it was completed under budget and ahead of schedule, and the commercial colossus has stood through good times and bad as a symbol of daring, beauty, and American invention.

Constructed in 11 months, the Empire State Building was a marvel of modern engineering. Its frame rose more than a story a day--no comparable building since has managed that rate of ascent. In "Building the Empire State", a rediscovered 1930s notebook charts the construction of this crowning achievement. Illustrations.

Built during the Great Depression, the 102-story skyscraper was then the tallest structure in the world. Readers learn about the problems that were overcome in designing such a massive building, the steel that supported it, and about the teams of riveters who assembled it under harrowing conditions.

Chronicles the building of the world famous skyscraper, describes its occupants, and explores its popularity in films.

"Explores various perspectives on the process of building the Empire State Building. The reader's choices reveal the historical details"--

Discusses the history, design, and construction of New York City's Empire State Building.