Editing Empire State Building (section)

===Interior===
[[File:Empire State Building elevators 01.jpg|thumb|One of several elevator lobbies]]

According to official fact sheets, the Empire State Building weighs {{Convert|365000|ST}} and has an internal volume of {{Convert|37|e6ft3|m3}}.<ref name="ESBNYC-Facts">{{Cite web |url=https://www.esbnyc.com/sites/default/files/esb_fact_sheet_4_9_14_4.pdf |title=Empire State Building Fact Sheet |publisher=Empire State Realty |page=1 |access-date=October 23, 2017 |archive-date=November 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106223727/http://www.esbnyc.com/sites/default/files/esb_fact_sheet_4_9_14_4.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The interior required {{Convert|1172|mi|0}} of elevator cable and {{Convert|2|e6ft|m}} of electrical wires.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/manhattanskyscra00nash_0 |url-access=registration |title=Manhattan Skyscrapers |last=Nash |first=Eric |date=August 1999 |publisher=Princeton Architectural Press |isbn=978-1-56898-181-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/manhattanskyscra00nash_0/page/75 75] |language=en }}</ref> It has a total floor area of {{cvt|2768591|ft2|m2|0}}, and each of the floors in the base cover {{cvt|2|acre|ha}}.{{sfn|Tauranac|2014|p=183}} This gives the building capacity for 20,000 tenants and 15,000 visitors.{{sfn|Popular Mechanics|December 1930|p=920}}

The [[rivet]]ed steel frame of the building was originally designed to handle all of the building's gravitational stresses and [[wind load]]s.{{sfn|Taranath|2016|p=459}} The amount of material used in the building's construction resulted in a very stiff structure when compared to other skyscrapers, with a structural stiffness of {{convert|42|psf}} versus the [[Willis Tower]]'s {{convert|33|psf}} and the [[John Hancock Center]]'s {{convert|26|psf}}.{{sfn|Taranath|2016|p=527}} A December 1930 feature in ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'' estimated that a building with the Empire State's dimensions would still stand even if hit with an impact of {{convert|50|ST|LT}}.{{sfn|Popular Mechanics|December 1930|p=920}}

Utilities are grouped in a central shaft.<ref name="The New York Times 1930a" /> On the 6th through 86th stories, the central shaft is surrounded by a main corridor on all four sides.{{sfn|Langmead|2009|p=81}} Per the final specifications of the building, the corridor is surrounded in turn by office space {{convert|28|ft|m}} deep, maximizing office space at a time before air conditioning became commonplace.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|pp=612, 614}}{{sfn|Willis|1995|p=95}}<ref name="Reynolds p. 290" /> Each of the floors has 210 structural columns that pass through it, which provide structural stability but limits the amount of open space on these floors.{{sfn|Langmead|2009|p=81}} The relative dearth of stone in the Empire State Building allows for more space overall, with a 1:200 stone-to-building ratio compared to a 1:50 ratio in similar buildings.{{sfn|Popular Mechanics|December 1930|p=922}}

====Lobby====
[[File:Empire State Building lobby 20240521.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Fifth Avenue lobby]]
The original main lobby is accessed from Fifth Avenue, on the building's east side, and is the only place in the building where the design contains narrative motifs.<ref name="Reynolds p. 292" /> It contains an entrance with one set of double doors between a pair of [[revolving door]]s. At the top of each doorway is a bronze motif depicting one of three "crafts or industries" used in the building's construction—Electricity, Masonry, and Heating.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|page=13}} The three-story-high space runs parallel to 33rd and 34th Streets.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|page=15}} The lobby contains two tiers of marble: a [[wainscoting]] of darker marble, topped by lighter marble. There is a pattern of zigzagging [[terrazzo]] tiles on the lobby floor, which leads from east to west.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|page=15}} To the north and south are storefronts, which are flanked by tubes of dark rounded marble and topped by a vertical band of grooves set into the marble.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|page=15}} Until the 1960s, there was a [[Longchamps (restaurant chain)|Longchamps]] restaurant next to the lobby, with six oval murals designed by [[Winold Reiss]]; these murals were placed in storage when the Longchamps closed.<ref name="Collins 2023">{{cite web |last=Collins |first=Charlotte |title=Lost Art Deco Treasures From the Empire State Building Rediscovered |website=Architectural Digest |date=May 8, 2023 |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/lost-art-deco-treasures-from-the-empire-state-building-rediscovered |access-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510152659/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/lost-art-deco-treasures-from-the-empire-state-building-rediscovered |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kahn |first=Eve M. |date=May 7, 2023 |title=Vanished Murals From the Empire State Building Rediscovered |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/07/arts/design/vanished-murals-from-the-empire-state-building-rediscovered.html |access-date=May 10, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509191625/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/07/arts/design/vanished-murals-from-the-empire-state-building-rediscovered.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The western ends of the north and south walls include escalators to a mezzanine level.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|page=15}}{{Efn|name=layout-lobby}} At the west end of the lobby, behind the security desk, is an aluminum relief of the skyscraper as it was originally built (without the antenna).<ref name="Lepik 2008">{{cite book |last=Lepik |first=Andres |title=Skyscrapers |publisher=Prestel |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-7913-3992-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0VJJAQAAIAAJ |pages=53–54 |access-date=October 23, 2017 }}</ref> The relief, which was intended to provide a welcoming effect,{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|page=1}} contains an embossed outline of the building, with rays radiating from the spire and the sun behind it.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|page=14}} In the background is a state map of New York with the building's location marked by a "medallion" in the very southeast portion of the outline. A compass is depicted in the bottom right and a plaque to the building's major developers is on the bottom left.<ref name="Reynolds p. 293">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=293 }}</ref>{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|page=14}} A scale model of the building was also placed south of the security desk.<ref name="Reynolds p. 293" />

[[File:Empire State Building Entrance decoration (6046008895).jpg|thumb|upright|Aluminum relief of the building]]
The plaque at the western end of the lobby is on the eastern interior wall of a one-story-tall rectangular-shaped corridor that surrounds the banks of escalators, with a similar design to the lobby.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|pages=12, 15}} The rectangular-shaped corridor actually consists of two long hallways on the northern and southern sides of the rectangle,{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|page=12}} as well as a shorter hallway on the eastern side and another long hallway on the western side.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|pages=12, 15}} At both ends of the northern and southern corridors, there is a bank of four low-rise elevators in between the corridors.<ref name="Reynolds p. 293" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 292" />{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|page=16}} The western side of the rectangular elevator-bank corridor extends north to the 34th Street entrance and south to the 33rd Street entrance. It borders three large storefronts and leads to escalators (originally stairs), which go both to the second floor and to the basement. Going from west to east, there are secondary entrances to 34th and 33rd Streets from the northern and southern corridors, respectively.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|page=15}}{{Efn|name=layout-lobby|See {{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981}}, PDF page 26, for a diagram of the lobby.}} The side entrances from 33rd and 34th Street lead to two-story-high corridors around the elevator core, crossed by stainless steel-and-glass-enclosed bridges at the mezzanine floor.<ref name="AIA" />{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1981|p=15}}<ref name="Reynolds p. 293" />

Until the 1960s, an [[Art Deco]] mural, inspired by both the sky and the [[Machine Age]], was installed in the lobby ceilings.<ref name="Lepik 2008" /> Subsequent damage to these murals, designed by artist Leif Neandross, resulted in reproductions being installed. Renovations to the lobby in 2009, such as replacing the clock over the information desk in the Fifth Avenue lobby with an [[anemometer]] and installing two chandeliers intended to be part of the building when it originally opened, revived much of its original grandeur.<ref name="Barron 2009">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/nyregion/23empire.html |title=Overhead, A Lobby Is Restored to Old Glory |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |last=Barron |first=James |author-link=James Barron (journalist) |date=September 22, 2009 |access-date=January 24, 2020 |archive-date=March 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306125255/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/nyregion/23empire.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The north corridor contained eight illuminated panels created in 1963 by Roy Sparkia and Renée Nemorov, in time for the [[1964 World's Fair]], depicting the building as the [[Eighth Wonder of the World]] alongside the traditional seven.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1981|page=16}}<ref name="Bosworth 1984">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CveczaI95Q8C&pg=PA215 |title=Diane Arbus: A Biography |last=Bosworth |first=Patricia |date=1984 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=9780393326611 |language=en |page=215 }}</ref> The building's owners installed a series of paintings by the New York artist [[Kysa Johnson]] in the concourse level. Johnson later filed a federal lawsuit, in January 2014, under the [[Visual Artists Rights Act]] alleging the negligent destruction of the paintings and damage to her reputation as an artist.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/artist-files-suit-over-missing-empire-state-building-paintings |title=Artist Files Suit Over Missing Empire State Building Paintings |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 31, 2014 |access-date=February 1, 2014 |archive-date=January 31, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131182708/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/artist-files-suit-over-missing-empire-state-building-paintings/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As part of the building's 2010 renovation, [[Denise Amses]] commissioned a work consisting of 15,000 stars and 5,000 circles, superimposed on a {{Convert|13|by|5|ft|adj=on|m}} [[Glass etching|etched-glass]] installation, in the lobby.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9404E2DC163AF930A25751C0A9679D8B63.html |title=Restored Lobby's Crowning Touch |last=Barron |first=James |date=February 13, 2011 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=November 6, 2017 |archive-date=July 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729230818/https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9404E2DC163AF930A25751C0A9679D8B63.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Elevators ====
The Empire State Building has 73 elevators in all, including service elevators.<ref name="Navarro 2009">{{cite web |last=Navarro |first=Mireya |date=April 7, 2009 |title=Empire State Building Plans Environmental Retrofit |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/science/earth/07empire.html |access-date=October 27, 2017 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028044737/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/science/earth/07empire.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Its original 64 elevators, built by the [[Otis Worldwide|Otis Elevator Company]],{{sfn|Tauranac|2014|p=183}} in a central core and are of varying heights, with the longest of these elevators reaching from the lobby to the 80th floor.<ref name="The New York Times 1930a" /><ref>{{cite book |author=Bonnier Corporation |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8ycDAAAAMBAJ |title=Popular Science |date=April 1931 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8ycDAAAAMBAJ/page/n45 44] |publisher=Bonnier Corporation }}</ref> As originally built, there were four "express" elevators that connected the lobby, 80th floor, and several landings in between; the other 60 "local" elevators connected the landings with the floors above these intermediate landings.{{sfn|Willis|1995|p=96}} Of the 64 total elevators, 58 were for passenger use (comprising the four express elevators and 54 local elevators), and eight were for freight deliveries.{{sfn|Langmead|2009|p=81}} The elevators were designed to move at {{convert|1200|ft/min}}. At the time of the skyscraper's construction, their practical speed was limited to {{convert|700|ft/min}} per city law, but this limit was removed shortly after the building opened.{{sfn|Tauranac|2014|p=183}}{{sfn|Langmead|2009|p=81}}

Additional elevators connect the 80th floor to the six floors above it, as the six extra floors were built after the original 80 stories were approved.{{sfn|Willis|Friedman|1998|p=14}}{{sfn|Popular Mechanics|December 1930|p=921}} The elevators were mechanically operated until 2011, when they were replaced with automatic elevators during the $550&nbsp;million renovation of the building.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 16, 2011 |title=Empire State Building To Get Modernized Elevators |language=en |publisher=CBS |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/06/16/empire-state-building-to-get-modernized-elevators/ |access-date=December 16, 2017 |archive-date=December 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216091504/http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/06/16/empire-state-building-to-get-modernized-elevators/ |url-status=live }}</ref> An additional elevator connects the 86th and 102nd floor observatories, which allows visitors access to the 102nd floor observatory after having their tickets scanned. It also allows employees to access the mechanical floors located between the 87th and 101st floors.{{sfn|Taranath|2016|p=459}}

====Observation decks====
[[File:EmpireStateBuilding202080thFloorSouthEastCorner.jpg|thumb|80th floor observation deck]]
The 80th, 86th, and 102nd floors contain observatories.{{sfn|Al-Kodmany|2017|p=71}}<ref name="Lepik 2008" /><ref name="CBS News 2019">{{cite web |date=November 27, 2019 |title=Empire State Building's 80th Floor Renovations Offer New Visitor Experience |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/empire-state-building-80th-floor-165-million-renovations-complete/ |access-date=January 24, 2020 |publisher=CBS News |archive-date=February 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222025308/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/empire-state-building-80th-floor-165-million-renovations-complete/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The latter two observatories saw a combined average of four&nbsp;million visitors per year in 2010.<ref name="CNN 1">{{Cite news |title=Empire State Building Fast Facts |publisher=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/11/us/empire-state-building-fast-facts/index.html |access-date=November 27, 2018 |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101213938/https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/11/us/empire-state-building-fast-facts/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Bagli 2011">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/nyregion/empire-state-building-observation-decks-generate-startling-profits.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/nyregion/empire-state-building-observation-decks-generate-startling-profits.html |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |url-access=limited |title=Empire State Building Observation Decks Generate Startling Profits |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |date=December 24, 2011 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=October 24, 2017}}{{cbignore }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |title=3.3 Million Were Expected at Trade Center Attraction; A Million Haven't Shown Up |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=May 28, 2016 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/nyregion/3-3-million-were-expected-at-trade-center-attraction-1-million-havent-shown-up.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/nyregion/3-3-million-were-expected-at-trade-center-attraction-1-million-havent-shown-up.html |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |url-access=limited |access-date=October 24, 2017}}{{cbignore }}</ref> Since opening, the observatories have been more popular than similar observatories at [[30 Rockefeller Plaza]], the Chrysler Building, the first One World Trade Center, or the [[Woolworth Building]], despite being more expensive.<ref name="Bagli 2011" /> There are [[Dynamic pricing|variable charges]] to enter the observatories based on demand and time of day.<ref>{{cite web | last=Small | first=Eddie | title=Empire State Building observatory to try out surge pricing | website=Crain&#039;s New York Business | date=February 20, 2025 | url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/empire-state-building-owner-launch-dynamic-ticket-pricing | access-date=February 23, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Schiffman | first=Zach | title=Surge Pricing Comes to the Empire State Building | website=Curbed | date=February 21, 2025 | url=https://www.curbed.com/article/empire-state-building-dynamic-pricing-observation-deck-tickets.html | access-date=February 23, 2025}}</ref> Though most tickets allow visitors to go to the 86th floor, an [[upcharge attraction|additional fee]] is charged for access to the 102nd floor. Other ticket options for visitors include scheduled access to view the sunrise from the observatory, a "premium" guided tour with VIP access, and the "AM/PM" package which allows for two visits in the same day.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.esbnyc.com/tickets/index.cfm |title=ESB Tickets |publisher=Empire State Building |access-date=July 10, 2010 |archive-date=May 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512193246/https://www.esbnyc.com/tickets/index.cfm |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{multiple images
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The 86th floor observatory contains both an enclosed viewing gallery and an open-air outdoor viewing area, allowing for it to remain open 365 days a year regardless of the weather. The 102nd floor observatory is completely enclosed and much smaller in size. The 102nd floor observatory was closed to the public from the late 1990s to 2005 due to limited viewing capacity and long lines.{{sfn|Fodor's|2010|p=154}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Mates |first=Rich |title=City That Never Sleeps Is Full of Unexpected Treasures |newspaper=The Citizens' Voice |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48518102/ |date=October 12, 2003 |access-date=April 12, 2020 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> The observation decks were redesigned in mid-1979.<ref name="Mouat 1979">{{Cite news |last=Mouat |first=Lucia |date=November 28, 1979 |title=No Longer The Tallest, 'Most Famous' Building in World |page=14 |work=Olean Times-Herald |publisher=[[The Christian Science Monitor|Monitor News Service]] |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252024%2FOlean%2520NY%2520Times%2520Herald%2FOlean%2520NY%2520Times%2520Herald%25201979%2FOlean%2520NY%2520Times%2520Herald%25201979%2520a%2520-%25201143.pdf |access-date=October 29, 2017 |via=[[fultonhistory.com]] }}</ref> The 102nd floor was again redesigned in a project that was completed in 2019, allowing the windows to be extended from floor to ceiling and widening the space in the observatory overall.<ref name="Wallace 2019">{{Cite web |last=Wallace |first=Elizabeth |date=October 11, 2019 |title=The Empire State Building's View Just Got Even Better |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/empire-state-building-observatory-new-york/index.html |access-date=November 5, 2019 |website=CNN Travel |language=en |archive-date=November 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105180832/https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/empire-state-building-observatory-new-york/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Russell 2019" /> An observatory on the 80th floor, opened in 2019, includes various exhibits as well as a mural of the skyline drawn by British artist [[Stephen Wiltshire]].<ref name="Ricciulli 2019">{{cite web |last=Ricciulli |first=Valeria |date=December 2, 2019 |title=Empire State Building Completes $165M Revamp with New Observatory |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2019/12/2/20991515/empire-state-building-new-observatory-redevelopment-nyc |access-date=January 24, 2020 |website=Curbed NY |archive-date=December 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224040829/https://ny.curbed.com/2019/12/2/20991515/empire-state-building-new-observatory-redevelopment-nyc |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="CBS News 2019" /> An interactive multimedia museum, with multiple hands-on exhibitions about the building's history, was added during this project.<ref name="CBS News 2019a">{{cite web |date=October 11, 2019 |title=Exclusive Look Inside the Empire State Building's $160 Million Makeover |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/empire-state-building-massive-renovation-exclusive-look-inside-new-observatory/ |access-date=September 29, 2023 |publisher=CBS News |archive-date=October 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003012727/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/empire-state-building-massive-renovation-exclusive-look-inside-new-observatory/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The design of the {{cvt|10000|ft2}} Observatory Experience was inspired by the plans and designs of the original Empire State Building.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mayes-Osterman |first=Cybele |date=July 29, 2019 |title=Inside the Empire State Building's New Interactive Museum, The Observatory Experience |url=https://untappedcities.com/2019/07/29/inside-the-new-empire-state-buildings-new-interactive-museum-the-observatory-experience/ |access-date=October 6, 2023 |website=Untapped New York |language=en-US |archive-date=November 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110020024/https://untappedcities.com/2019/07/29/inside-the-new-empire-state-buildings-new-interactive-museum-the-observatory-experience/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to a 2010 report by [[Condé Nast Traveler|Concierge.com]], the five lines to enter the observation decks are "as legendary as the building itself". Concierge.com stated that there were five lines: the sidewalk line, the lobby elevator line, the ticket purchase line, the second elevator line, and the line to get off the elevator and onto the observation deck.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.concierge.com/ideas/hotspots/tours/500723?page=3 |title=Ten Things Not to Do in New York |publisher=Concierge.com |access-date=October 23, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316041809/http://www.concierge.com/ideas/hotspots/tours/500723?page=3 |archive-date=March 16, 2010 }}</ref> In 2016, New York City's official tourism website made note of only three lines: the security check line, the ticket purchase line, and the second elevator line.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nycgo.com/tours/empire-state-building-tickets-observatory-and-optional-skip-the-line-ticket |title=Empire State Building Tickets – Observatory and Optional Skip the Line Tickets |date=May 10, 2016 |work=The Official Guide to New York City |access-date=December 11, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=December 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211160853/https://www.nycgo.com/tours/empire-state-building-tickets-observatory-and-optional-skip-the-line-ticket |url-status=live }}</ref> Following renovations completed in 2019, designed to streamline queuing and reduce wait times, guests enter from a single entrance on 34th Street, where they make their way through {{convert|10,000|ft2|m2|adj=on}} exhibits on their way up to the observatories. Guests were offered a variety of ticket packages, including a package that enables them to skip the lines throughout the duration of their stay.<ref name="Russell 2019">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/arts/design/empire-state-building-observatory.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/arts/design/empire-state-building-observatory.html |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |url-access=limited |title=The Empire State Building: Renewing the Affair |last=Russell |first=James S. |date=September 19, 2019 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=November 5, 2019}}{{cbignore }}</ref> The Empire State Building garners significant revenue from ticket sales for its observation decks, making more money from ticket sales than it does from renting office space during some years.<ref name="Bagli 2011" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/no-threat-from-large-gorillas-hhq8vn2zmck |title=No Threat from Large Gorillas |first=David |last=Robertson |date=April 23, 2012 |newspaper=[[The Times (London, England)|The Times]] |access-date=April 21, 2012 |quote=According to details prepared for the proposed initial public offering of Empire State Realty Trust, the skyscraper earned $62.9&nbsp;million from its observation deck in nine months last year, compared with $62.6&nbsp;million from the rental of office space. |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129121900/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/industries/construction-property/article3391920.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{clear}}

{{wide image|Skyline-New-York-City.jpg|2000px|A 360° panoramic view of New York City from the 86th-floor observation deck in spring 2005. East River is to the left, Hudson River to the right, south is near center.}}

====New York Skyride====
In early 1994, a [[motion simulator]] attraction was built on the 2nd floor,<ref>{{cite news |last=Trucco |first=Terry |title=Travel Advisory: Empire State Building; New York on One Floor |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=January 1, 1995 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/01/travel/travel-advisory-empire-state-building-new-york-on-one-floor.html |access-date=October 31, 2017 |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107014939/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/01/travel/travel-advisory-empire-state-building-new-york-on-one-floor.html |url-status=live }}</ref> as a complement to the observation deck.<ref name="The New Yorker 2001">{{cite magazine |title=A Curious Flight Path |magazine=The New Yorker |date=November 5, 2001 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/11/12/a-curious-flight-path |access-date=October 24, 2017 |archive-date=October 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024100134/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/11/12/a-curious-flight-path |url-status=live }}</ref> The original cinematic presentation lasted approximately 25&nbsp;minutes, while the simulation was about eight minutes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rosenberg |first1=A. |last2=Dunford |first2=M. |title=The Rough Guide to New York |publisher=Rough Guides |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-84836-590-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781848365902 |url-access=registration |access-date=October 24, 2017 |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781848365902/page/128 128] }}</ref> The ride had two incarnations. The original version, which ran from 1994 until around 2002, featured [[James Doohan]], ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek's]]'' [[Montgomery Scott|Scotty]], as the airplane's pilot who humorously tried to keep the flight under control during a storm.<ref>{{cite book |title=VR World |publisher=Mecklermedia |issue=v. 2–3 |year=1994 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=REpVAAAAMAAJ |access-date=October 24, 2017 |page=32 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Michelin Tire Corporation |title=New York City |publisher=Michelin Tire Corporation |series=Michelin green guides |year=2002 |isbn=978-2-06-100408-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BaIXAQAAMAAJ |access-date=October 24, 2017 |page=82 }}</ref> After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the ride was closed.<ref name="The New Yorker 2001" /> An updated version debuted in mid-2002, featuring actor [[Kevin Bacon]] as the pilot, with the new flight also going haywire.<ref name="Fodors2012">{{cite book |title=Fodor's New York City |publisher=Fodor's Travel |series=Fodor's Travel Guides |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-8041-4370-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SobFCwAAQBAJ |access-date=October 24, 2017 |page=<!--no page numbers in this edition--> }}</ref> This new version served a more informative goal, as opposed to the old version's main purpose of entertainment, and contained details about the 9/11 attacks.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Quay |first1=Sara E. |last2=Damico |first2=Amy M. |title=September 11 in Popular Culture: A Guide |publisher=Greenwood |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-313-35505-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lx7i4YHl_NoC&pg=PA12 |access-date=October 31, 2017 |page=12 }}</ref> The simulator received mixed reviews, with assessments of the ride ranging from "great" to "satisfactory" to "corny".<ref>{{cite web |last=Kleinfield |first=N. R. |title=Feud Over Views From the Empire State Building |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=June 16, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/nyregion/feud-over-views-from-the-empire-state-building.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/nyregion/feud-over-views-from-the-empire-state-building.html |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |url-access=limited |access-date=October 24, 2017}}{{cbignore }}</ref><!--The Skyride attraction permanently closed on December 31, 2015.-->