The Iconic Sky Scrapers of New York
- May 23, 2017
- 3 min read
There are 265 skyscrapers in New York City and some of them have become some of the most iconic skyscrapers in the world. Below are the buildings I have always wanted to see and they are even more beautiful in real life. The architecture for each building is vastly different yet distinctly New York.
30 Rockefeller Centre in particular is one of the most well-known buildings in New York. I have wrote an entire article on this skyscraper as it is my favourite skyscraper in the world.This is due to the many stunning aspects of the building but also the fact of all the buildings in New York, I think this building has more laughter within it than any other. It is also responsible for making people laugh all around the world and to be that is more important than the corporate uses of the other skyscrapers.
Empire State Building
The Empire State building is known for it's impressive stature and throughout the world for it's iconic scenes in King Kong, James and The Giant Peach, An Affair to Remember, Sleepless in Seattle etc. Here are some facts about this amazing building:
The most unbelievable fact to me is that it only took 410 DAYS to build!!! Compare this to the 11 YEARS it took to build One World Trade Center!!
Its name comes from New York's nickname - The Empire State.
It was the world's tallest building from 1931 to 1970.
It was the first building to have over 100 floors (101).
It was considered one of the Seven Wonders of The Modern World, as it was one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century.
It got the nickname "Empty State Building" as it opened during the depression and no one could afford the rent.
In 1945, a B-25 Bomber Plane crashed into the building - the floor reopened for business in 2 days.
One World Trade Center
The One World Trade Center, serves as a fitting memorial to the tragedy of 9/11.
After 11 years of building, it is now the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere
It surpassed the previous reigning champion of height, The Empire State Building, in 2012.
It officially opened in 2014.
It now stands at 541m.
It contains more than 40,000 tons of steel and 49,000 yards of concrete making it a solid building. This explains why it took over a decade to complete.
It is one of the safest buildings in the world - well exceeding safety code requirements.
It was named after the Twin Tower's North Tower.
Also known as the Freedom Tower.
It contains a 9/11 museum.
Flatiron Building
Though not tall in comparison to the skyscrapers of New York, it’s construction its revolutionary.
It was completed in 1902
The bit at the front of the building is called the Prow and now contains art installations.
It used to be known as the "Cow-catcher" as cows from nearby farms used to wander in to it to avoid traffic.
It took only four months to complete once the steel structure was in place.
Chrysler Building
My favourite fact is that the car Mogul Chrysler, who commissioned the building, made it as a “monument to me”
It is Art-Deco style, fitting to the common style at the time it was constructed in 1928.
No workers died which was very rare!
There are gargoyles on the 61st floor.
There are secret apartments, offices and even a speakeasy from the prohibition times.
They don’t offer tours.
There used to be a public observatory on the 71st floor that closed in 1945.
The original purpose of the building was to be the headquarters for Chrysler – however this never materialised. There was a showroom that occupied the first two floors of the lobby.
The tenant in the top habitable floor of the Chrysler building is a dentist, known as the Dentist in the sky.
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