The Empire State Building is known as a symbol of New York City and an embodiment of America’s rise to global financial power in the 20th century. Located in Manhattan at 350 Fifth Avenue, on the west side of the avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets, the Empire State Building was built in 1931. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates in 1930 – only taking a year to complete.

The Empire State Building was built to become the world’s tallest building, but did not hold that title for long because in 1970 the World Trade Center was built, standing at approximately 1,776 feet. The construction of the Empire State Building was completed in record-breaking time. In fact, there was another building competing to be the tallest in the world: The Chrysler Building.

The Empire State Building was designed to be a large office complex, but when the stock market crashed in 1929 and the Great Depression rose, it put the building in deep trouble. During this time, the building got its nickname as the "Empty State Building" because less than 25% of its rental space was occupied. During World War II, as the United Sates’ economy grew, the building started to turn a profit as commercial real estate rebounded in the 1950s.