Editing Empire State Building (section)

==== Early plans ====
[[File:Waldorf Astoria, New York City LCCN2002699564.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Waldorf-Astoria (1893–1929)|Waldorf-Astoria]] in 1901]]Bethlehem Engineering Corporation originally intended to build a 25-story office building on the Waldorf–Astoria site. The company's president, Floyd De L. Brown, paid $100,000 of the $1&nbsp;million [[down payment]] required to start construction on the building, with the promise that the difference would be paid later.{{sfn|Douglas|2004|p=108}} Brown borrowed $900,000 from a bank but [[Default (finance)|defaulted]] on the loan.{{sfn|Douglas|2004|p=109}}{{sfn|Willis|Friedman|1998|pp=85–87}}

After Brown was unable to secure additional funding,{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=612}} the land was resold to Empire State Inc., a group of wealthy investors that included [[Louis G. Kaufman]], [[Ellis P. Earle]], [[John J. Raskob]], Coleman du Pont, and [[Pierre S. du Pont]].{{sfn|Douglas|2004|p=109}}{{sfn|Willis|Friedman|1998|pp=85–87}}<ref name="ChicagoTribune-Factbox">{{Cite news |work=Chicago Tribune |agency=Reuters |title=FACTBOX-History Of New York's Empire State Building |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/living/ct-xpm-2012-08-24-sns-rt-usa-shootingempirestate-building-20120824-story.html |access-date=November 27, 2018 |archive-date=November 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128122937/https://www.chicagotribune.com/living/ct-xpm-2012-08-24-sns-rt-usa-shootingempirestate-building-20120824-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The name came from the [[Empire State|state nickname]] for New York.{{sfn|Al-Kodmany|2017|p=72}}<ref name="Reynolds p. 288">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=288 }}</ref> [[Alfred E. Smith]], a former [[Governor of New York]] and U.S. presidential candidate whose [[Al Smith presidential campaign, 1928|1928 campaign]] had been managed by Raskob,<ref name="Reynolds p. 287" />{{sfn|Langmead|2009|p=79}} was appointed head of the company.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=612}}{{sfn|Douglas|2004|p=109}}{{sfn|Willis|Friedman|1998|pp=85–87}} The group also purchased nearby land so they would have the {{Convert|2|acre|1}} needed for the base, with the combined plot measuring {{Convert|425|ft|m}} wide by {{Convert|200|ft|m}} long.<ref name="Reynolds p. 288" /><ref name="The New York Times 1929">{{Cite news |date=August 30, 1929 |title=Smith To Help Build Highest Skyscraper; Ex-Governor Heads Group That Will Put 80-Story Office Building on Waldorf Site |work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/08/30/94177281.pdf |access-date=October 22, 2017 |issn=0362-4331 }}</ref> The Empire State Inc. consortium was announced to the public in August 1929.{{sfn|Langmead|2009|p=80}}{{sfn|Willis|1995|p=90}}<ref name="The New York Times 1929" /> Concurrently, Smith announced the construction of an 80-story building on the site, to be taller than any other buildings in existence.<ref name="The New York Times 1929" />{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=610}}

Empire State Inc. contracted [[William F. Lamb]], of architectural firm [[Shreve, Lamb and Harmon]], to create the building design.{{sfn|Jackson|2010|p=413}}<ref name="Reynolds p. 288" />{{sfn|Langmead|2009|p=89}} Lamb produced the initial building design using the firm's earlier designs for the [[Reynolds Building]] in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]], as the basis.{{sfn|Al-Kodmany|2017|p=72}} He had also been inspired by [[Raymond Hood]]'s design for the [[Daily News Building]], which was being constructed at the same time.<ref name="Reynolds p. 288" /> Concurrently, Lamb's partner [[Richmond Shreve]] created "bug diagrams" of the project requirements.{{sfn|Bascomb|2004|pp=246–247}} The [[1916 Zoning Resolution|1916 Zoning Act]] forced Lamb to design a structure that incorporated [[setback (architecture)|setbacks]] resulting in the lower floors being larger than the upper floors.{{Efn|name=zoning}} Consequently, the building was conceived from the top down,{{sfn|Wagner|2003|p=12}} giving it a pencil-like shape.{{sfn|Tauranac|2014|p=157}} The plans were devised within a budget of $50 million and a stipulation that the building be ready for occupancy within 18 months of the start of construction.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=612}} Design drawings and construction were concurrent. Steel drawings were completed in mid-January 1930, when foundations were underway.{{sfn|Tauranac|2014|p=205}}