Empire State Building

1:4000 scale miniature paper model, about 4.5 inches tall

For nearly 50 years the tallest building in the world, the Empire State was superlative from its beginning. During its construction, the true height of 1250 feet was kept secret to outdo the builders of the Chrysler Building being built at the same time. The spire was designed as a dirigible docking port, though it was never used for that purpose. Construction of the building was completed in a rapid 14 months, though after it opened in 1930 it was not fully occupied for 20 years.

A 1:3000 scale version of this model is printed in the book American Landmarks: Miniature Models to Cut and Assemble

Download a free model of the U.S.S. Akron to moor to the top of your Empire State Building

Read more:

• The official site of the Empire State Building
• Emporis entry for Empire State Building
• Great Buildings Online entry for Empire State Building
• Lewis Hine photographs of the building construction: at Columbia and NY Public Library
• NPR program about the history of the tower
• Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark, by John Tauranac, Cornell University Press (2014)
• Building the Empire State, by Carol Willis, published by W.W. Norton (2007)