Empire State Building Facts for Kids

Did you know the empire state building was built in 1931 during a race to create the world’s tallest building? The title of the World’s Tallest Building went back and forth between the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building while under construction. Once completed, the Empire State Building measured in at 1,250 feet tall from the foundation to the tip of the lightning rod on top. This soared over the 1,048 feet of the Chrysler building, earning the Empire State Building the title of World’s Tallest Building! Read more about these interesting Empire State Building Facts for Kids.

THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING AS THE WORLD’S TALLEST BUILDING

The Empire State Building was able to remain as the World’s Tallest Building for 39 years until the construction of the first World Trade Center Towers were built in 1970. So, let’s get to learning more about what once was the World’s Tallest Building and still is one of the most famous buildings in the world today with these Empire State Building facts for kids.

ALL ABOUT THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

The Empire State Building is located in New York City, or you may know it as the Big Apple. Built on the corner of West 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, the building towers over Midtown Manhattan and much of Times Square. You can almost see all of New York City from the top of the Empire State Building. Have you ever been to the top floor?

The Empire State Building is a 102 story building. Could you imagine standing on the 102nd floor? Fun fact: You can! The Empire State Building is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world seeing approximately four million tourists each year. There is an observation deck on the 86th floor that is considered the main deck as the majority of tourists visit it, however some individuals make the journey to the very top floor! Would you?

CONSTRUCTION OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

With 3,400 construction workers building the Empire State Building each day, it took only 410 days to complete the construction of the building. That’s just over a year, which is an extremely impressive feat considering it’s over 1,200 feet high. They worked at a pace of four and a half stories each week, which is over a half story each day. Wow!

The Empire State Building was built with more than 6,500 windows, 350,000 lights, and over 1,200 stairs from the bottom of the building to the very top of the building. It also has an observation deck on the 86th floor that wraps around the entire building.

The Empire State Building was originally constructed using 60,000 tons of steel, and 200,000 cubic feet of limestone and granite. Can you imagine how much the Empire State Building weighs with all that material?

PURPOSE OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

Have you ever wondered what’s inside the Empire State Building? The design of the Empire State Building was focused mostly on creating the World’s tallest building. However, the architects, including famous architect William F. Lamb wanted it to have a purpose too! They decided to make it mostly an office building with 2.7 million square feet of office space. That’s a lot of offices!

The Empire State Building has over 350,000 lights inside the building, but it also has dozens of lights on the outside of the building too! These were added later and are used today to light up the building in different colors. This is often done in honor of different causes and events.

WHERE CAN YOU SEE THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING?

You can see the Empire State Building from the streets of New York City. On a clear day, you may even be able to see the 103rd floor, which is the name given to the very top of the building above the last complete floor.

You can also find pictures of the Empire State Building on some $10 bills and many postage stamps.

The Empire State Building has also been featured in more than 250 movies and TV shows, including King Kong. That’s right! In the 1933 film, King Kong famously climbed up the Empire State Building and wreaked havoc over the city of New York.

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING FACTS FOR KIDS – FUN FACTS

The Empire State Building’s tower lights, illuminated to commemorate holidays, events, and special causes, are beautiful to look at in New York City.

How much paint do you think you would need to cover the inside of the building? Probably a lot more than 50 gallons!

The Empire State Building has its own zip code: 10118. How cool is that?

The Empire State Building was the first building in the world to have a commercial elevator. Thankfully, we don’t have to climb all those stairs!

MORE ABOUT THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

Now that you know all about the Empire State Building, I’m sure you can’t wait to visit it! The Empire State Building is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the entire world.

Have you ever been to the Empire State Building? Was it as impressive as you thought? Did you make it all the way to the top of the Empire State Building? Or at least see it? I’ve seen the top of the Empire State Building dozens of times, but I’ve never even been inside. It’s always been on my bucket list, though. I would love to visit the 86th floor observation deck during sunset to see the beautiful skyline of New York City. And maybe I’ll make my way all the way up to the 102nd floor. Who’s with me?

WANT MORE FUN FACTS FOR KIDS?

Check out these fun facts for kids here and browse all the other topics at the bottom of the post.