Empire Building (Manhattan)

Empire Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
New York City Landmark No. 1933
(1898)
Location	71 Broadway, Manhattan, New York
Coordinates	40°42′26″N 74°00′47″W / 40.70722°N 74.01306°W / 40.70722; -74.01306
Built	1895–1898
Architect	Kimball & Thompson
Architectural style	Classical Revival
Part of	Wall Street Historic District (ID07000063)
NRHP reference No.	83004643
NYCL No.	1933
Significant dates
Designated {{{NRHP_TYPE}}}	August 28, 1998[1]
Designated NYCL	June 25, 1996

The Empire Building is an office building and early skyscraper at 71 Broadway, on the corner of Rector Street, in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by Kimball & Thompson in the Classical Revival style and built by Marc Eidlitz & Son from 1897 to 1898. The building consists of 21 stories above a full basement story facing Trinity Place at the back of the building and is 293 feet (89 m) tall. The Empire Building is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It is also a contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District, a NRHP district created in 2007.

The Empire Building's articulation consists of three horizontal sections similar to the components of a column—namely a base, shaft, and capital—and has a facade of gray granite at its base and white granite on the upper stories. It is one of the earliest skyscrapers built on pneumatic caissons and one of the oldest such buildings that remain standing. The building contains an interior steel frame structure with a curtain-walled facade. The top stories contain a loggia on the facade as well as a large metal cornice above the 20th floor. There are numerous band courses, balconies, and arched windows along the facade.

The original Empire Building was a brownstone structure constructed in 1859. Though the politician and real estate developer Orlando B. Potter had acquired the brownstone in 1884, he died prior to the current building's construction. The present Empire Building was ultimately developed by his children as a 20-story structure. The Empire Building was the home of United States Steel Corporation from the company's 1901 founding to 1976, and U.S. Steel owned the building between 1919 and 1973. The Empire Building's 21st floor was constructed between 1928 and 1930 to designs by John C. Westervelt. The building was converted to apartments in 1997.