Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is a New York City landmark and one of the tallest buildings in the world. It has been the scene of many memorable moments and occasions. One dramatic event in the history of the famous skyscraper was the 1945 plane crash. On July 28, 1945, a U.S. Army Air Corps B-25 airplane crashed into the Empire State Building’s 79th floor, resulting in 14 deaths, dozens of injuries, and over $1 million in property damage.

Decorated World War II veteran and pilot of over 100 combat missions, Lieutenant Colonel William F. Smith Junior, was unable to see through the dense early morning fog that was over Manhattan that morning. Smith was flying from Bedford, Massachusetts and on his way to Newark, New Jersey to pick up his commanding office. The two were then scheduled to fly to their base in South Dakota. The pilot had originally been directed by the air traffic controller to land the plane at La Guardia Airport, but Smith asked for and received permission to fly into Newark instead. The air traffic controller told Smith the he could not see the top of the Empire State Building at that time.

At 9.40 a.m. on that foggy Saturday morning, the B-25 bomber crashed into the Catholic War Relief Office located on the 79th floor of the Empire State Building at a speed of 322 kilometers an hour. The wings of the plane were torn off on impact and left a huge hole in the building. One of the engines of the plane went flying through the building and crashed onto the roof of a nearby building on 33rd Street. Part of the landing gear and second engine fell down an elevator shaft. On impact, the plane’s fuel tanks exploded and the 79th floor went up in flames.

One miraculous story from the plane crash was the survival of Betty Lou Oliver. When the plane rammed into the building, Oliver, who was an elevator operator, was thrown out of her 80th floor post and was severely burned. After being administered first aid she was put into an elevator to be taken down to an ambulance. However, what rescue workers didn’t realize is that the elevator cables had been weakened by the landing gear and engine falling through the elevator shaft. The cable on the elevator snapped and the elevator Oliver was in on the 75th floor plunged all the way down to the sub-basement, falling over 1,000 feet. A hole had to be cut into the elevator to rescue Oliver. Although she was badly injured Betty Oliver did survive the fall.

The pilot, William Smith and two other passengers in the plane were killed as well as two other passengers in the plane. Eleven people in the Catholic War Relief office also died, with dozens of other people suffering injuries. The only consolation to the tragedy was that the crash occurred on a weekend, rather than on a regular workday when the building was more heavily occupied. The property damage was approximately $1 million dollars, but the building was repaired within three months.

The Empire State Building is one the most recognizable and world-renown buildings in the world. Situated at 350 Fifth Avenue in the heart of Manhattan, the Empire State Building at 1,454 feet is the tallest building in New York City and the second tallest building in the United States behind the Sears Tower in Chicago. The Empire State Building has two observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floor that offer breathtaking panoramic views of New York City and the surrounding areas. Over 117 million people have visited the Empire State Building since it opened in 1931, and over 3.5 million people visit the building each year.

Over the years many famous celebrities and dignitaries have visited the Empire State Building and its observation decks. In 1957 Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip visited the Empire State Building and enjoyed the view from the 86th floor observation deck. Queen Elizabeth described the view as the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Fidel Castro, Nikita Krushchev, and even Lassie have also enjoyed views from the Empire State Building’s observation deck.

The skyscraper’s observation deck is also the site of several romantic getaways in movie classics such as An Affair to Remember, Love Affair and Sleepless in Seattle. The observation deck also was the site of a Martian invasion on an old episode of I Love Lucy.

The Empire State Building’s observation decks are open 7 days a week from 8 am to 2 am in the morning. Tickets can be purchased for either the 86th floor observatory, which offers views from 150 feet over New York City or 102nd floor observatory that is 1,250 feet above the ground. There is also an optional prerecorded audio that can be purchased for an additional fee. The narrator of the guided tour is a fictional native New Yorker named Tony from Chelsea. Tony gives his point of view and observations and insights on various parts of New York City and the Empire State Building.

Visitors to the 86th floor observatory take a high-speed elevator up to the 86th floor. The observation deck has both an outdoor promenades on all four sides of the building and a glass-enclosed area that is cooled in the summer and heated in the winter. There are also high-powered binoculars available along the promenade. For an additional fee, visitors can choose to visit the 102nd floor observation deck.

The 360-degree panoramic views from the observation decks are breathtaking and far- reaching. On clear days visitors can see distances up to 80 miles with views of not only New York City, but parts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania as well. Looking to the east, one can see bridges spanning the East River, connecting Queens and Brooklyn to Manhattan. To the south, the harbor and Financial District are visible. To the west are Macys, Madison Square Garden, the Hudson River and New Jersey. Looking to the north is Fifth Avenue pointing toward Rockefeller Center and Central Park. It truly is a magnificent site to see, from one of the most historic buildings and landmarks in the world.