If you’re standing on the corner of 34th and Fifth Avenue today, it’s easy to forget that the massive limestone needle piercing the clouds wasn't always there. People ask when was the empire state building made because the timeline honestly feels like a typo. It’s too fast. Most modern apartment blocks take longer to get through zoning than it took for this 102-story icon to go from a hole in the dirt to the tallest building on the planet.
The short answer is 1930 to 1931.
But the "how" is way more interesting than the "when." We’re talking about a project that defined the New York skyline during a time when the rest of the country was basically standing in bread lines. It was a race. A literal, high-stakes ego trip between two men who wanted to touch the sky first.
The 410-Day Miracle
Ground was broken on March 17, 1930. Just 410 days later, President Herbert Hoover pressed a button in Washington D.C. that turned on the lights in New York City. That was May 1, 1931.
Think about that for a second.
Four and a half stories went up every single week. On the peak days, the "sky boys"—the legendary ironworkers—were riveting steel at a pace of one floor per day. It’s the kind of speed that modern safety regulations and bureaucratic red tape would never allow today. If you want to know when was the empire state building made, you have to understand it was forged in the heat of the Great Depression. It was a symbol of "we can still do big things" when everything else was falling apart.
The Waldorf-Astoria Had to Go First
Before the first steel beam could be swung into place, they had to deal with the existing tenant. The site wasn't empty. It was home to the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, a Victorian-era masterpiece of luxury that had become a bit of an eyesore for the ambitious developers.
Demolition started in late 1929.
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Imagine the scene. Hundreds of workers tearing down one of the world's most famous hotels just to clear a path for something even bigger. They didn't have heavy excavators or computerized wrecking balls. It was sledgehammers, sweat, and a whole lot of dust. By the time 1930 rolled around, the site was a massive pit, ready for the 210 steel columns that would support 365,000 tons of building.
Why the Timing Actually Matters
The reason why when was the empire state building made is such a common question is because the 1930s were a weird, desperate time. You had the stock market crash in October 1929. Most people stopped building.
But John J. Raskob and Al Smith didn't.
Raskob was a former General Motors executive. Smith was a former Governor of New York. They were competing against Walter Chrysler, who was busy finishing his own skyscraper just a few blocks away. The "Race to the Sky" was a real thing. Chrysler had pulled a fast one by hiding a spire inside his building and popping it out at the last second to claim the title of world's tallest.
Raskob wasn't having it.
He looked at a pencil, stood it on its end, and asked architect William F. Lamb, "Bill, how high can you make it so that it won't fall down?"
The result was a 1,250-foot tower. Then they added the "mooring mast" for dirigibles—which was basically a terrifying and failed experiment to let blimps dock in the middle of Manhattan—pushing the total height even further.
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The Logistics of a 1930s Job Site
The efficiency of the construction was basically a choreographed dance. Starrett Bros. & Eken, the contractors, treated the site like an assembly line.
- They built a miniature railway on the floors to move materials.
- Food stands were set up on the half-finished floors so workers didn't have to go down to the street for lunch.
- Bricklayers were so fast they’d finish a wall before the mortar from the previous layer was even dry.
It was frantic. It was loud. It was dangerous.
While the official death toll is listed as five workers, many historians suggest the number might have been slightly higher due to the lack of rigorous record-keeping for subcontractors. Still, for a project of this scale in the 1930s, the safety record was surprisingly "good" by the standards of the day.
A Ghost Town in the Clouds
Even though the building was "made" by 1931, it wasn't exactly a success at first. It was nicknamed the "Empty State Building."
Because it opened in the middle of the Depression, nobody could afford the rent. On opening day, only about 25% of the space was leased. For years, the owners had to turn on lights in empty offices just to make it look like people were working there. It actually took until the 1950s for the building to finally turn a profit.
So, when you ask when was the empire state building made, you’re asking about a building that was physically finished in 1931 but didn't truly "come alive" as a business hub for another twenty years.
The Design That Never Ages
The Art Deco style of the building is why it still looks cool today. It’s not just a glass box. It has those beautiful setbacks that were required by the 1916 Zoning Resolution. The law said buildings had to get thinner as they got taller so sunlight could actually reach the street.
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The limestone came from Indiana. The marble came from all over Europe—France, Italy, Belgium. They used 10 million bricks.
It’s a heavy building. It feels permanent.
When a B-25 bomber accidentally crashed into the 79th floor in 1945 during a heavy fog, the building didn't collapse. It didn't even tip. It shook, a fire started, and some people tragically died, but the structure itself was so over-engineered that it was back open for business on the other floors just two days later.
What to Do Next If You’re Visiting
Knowing when was the empire state building made is just the start. If you’re planning to visit, don't just look at the view from the 86th floor. Spend time in the lobby. It’s a designated landmark in its own right. The gold leaf and the marble work are spectacular.
Actionable Steps for Your Visit:
- Book the 8 AM Slot: This is the "Sunrise Experience." It's expensive, but you get the building almost to yourself. The light hitting the Art Deco spire at dawn is something you’ll never forget.
- Check out the 2nd Floor Museum: They have a great exhibit on the construction. It shows the "sky boys" in detail and gives you a sense of the scale of the 1930 project.
- Look for the Dirigible Details: When you’re at the top, look at the structure of the very peak. You can see where they genuinely thought blimps would tie up. It's a hilarious piece of "future-tech" that never worked because the winds were too high.
- Download the App: They have an official "Empire State Building Observatory" app that acts as a self-guided tour. It’s much better than the old audio handsets.
- Check the Lighting Schedule: The building changes colors every night for different causes and holidays. You can check the official website to see why the "tower lights" are green, red, or sparkling on the night you visit.
The Empire State Building isn't just a skyscraper. It’s a 1931 time capsule. It represents the transition from the old world of stone and masonry to the new world of steel and speed. Even after all these years, and even though it’s no longer the tallest, it’s still the one everyone looks for when they see the New York skyline.
To truly appreciate the site, look at the rivets on the observation deck. Each one was hammered in by hand while the wind whipped around workers who weren't wearing harnesses. That’s the reality of how New York was built. It was fast, it was bold, and it was slightly crazy.