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2011 Vacation: New York City

Empire State Building

The Empire State Building was designed by William F. Lamb from the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon,
which produced the building drawings in just two weeks.

Construction started: 1929

Completed: 1931.

The Empire State Building lobby is one of the few interiors in New York,
to be designated a historic landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission

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Personal Note: July 2, 2011: My experience at the Empire State Bldg. was terrible. I entered the bldg. at about 5pm, and could be at the Observation Deck only by about 9pm. There was full 4 hours of waiting here and there, in this line and that line. I was so disappointed that for a long time, I never saw the images I had taken. But I have to say, the lobby was beautiful! I am posting some photos of the lobby. But it was dark by the time I reached the Observatory Deck. So I will post images taken by my niece. I think she captured the spirit of New York very well through her images..

 

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THE ART DECO LOBBY: EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

The Empire State Building lobby is one of the few interiors in New York to be designated a historic landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. In 2009, 18 months were spent restoring its aesthetic to the original 1930 design – it only took 13 months to build the entire building!

Highlights of the lobby include:
– the Art Deco inspired ceiling murals—in a homage to the mechanical age,
planets and stars are rendered as an assembly line of gears, brought back to life in 24-karat gold and aluminum leaf, and..

– on the wall above the front desk in the Fifth Avenue lobby is one of the most famous images in New York City,
a depiction of the building itself with beams of lights radiating from the mast.

– Art-Deco medallions.

 

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Like the mural on the ceiling in Grand Central Terminal, the ones in the Empire State Building show the sky. But this sky was imagined when the building was on the drawing board in the 1920s, when assembly lines were humming and people dreamed of the ultimate symbol of the machine age: the car.

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Three medallions were placed above the entrance door inside the Empire State Building – Electricity, Masonry, and Heating – all commemorate the new technology used to complete the construction of the building in an art-deco style.

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Photo Gallery: Empire State Building Observatory
Photo Courtesy: Tanvi Sinha

 

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Related Links:
Home.. click here..
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2011 Vacation: Trip to New York City, Washington D.C., New Jersey and Philadelphia.. click here..
2011 Vacation: New York City.. click here..

My Vacations.. click here..
Vacation: USA.. click here..
Vacation: UK.. click here..
Vacation: India.. click here..
UNESCO World Heritage Site.. click here..

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