• The first time the lights at the top of the building were used was to announce the election of President
Franklin Roosevelt in 1932.
• In 1995, as part of a $300 million advertising campaign, the building was lit in blue, red, green, and
yellow to celebrate the release of Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system.
You can visit the Empire State Building, located at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, any day between 8 am and
2 pm. The admission is $17.61 for an adult, with an extra $15 if you want to go the observation deck on the
102nd floor. I'd suggest going early in the day as the 102nd floor frequently closes when the crowds are too
large.
Perhaps you remember seeing the photograph of several steel workers sitting on a beam high above the New
York skyline enjoying their lunch. That photo is iconic for its time, as is the building being constructed by those
workers, the Empire State.
Susan Jewell is a retired historian and frequent contributor of articles about American history.
Today’s Roofer / June 2015
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