Lisa Bullard - The Empire State Building

with hopes that she'll reach for the stars Copyright 2010 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. Lerner Publications Company A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.

Website address: www.lernerbooks.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bullard, Lisa The Empire State Building / by Lisa Bullard. p. cm. (Lightning Bolt BooksTMFamous Places) Includes index. ISBN 9780822594048 (lib. : alk. paper) 1. paper) 1.

Empire State Building (New York, N.Y.)Juvenile literature. 2. New York (N.Y.)Buildings, structures, etc.Juvenile literature. I. Title. F128.8.E46B85 2010 974.7'1dc22 2008030642 Manufactured in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 BP 15 14 13 12 11 10

Fighting to Be Tallest Raskob (at left) and Smith stand beside a model of the Empire State Building. The first design for the Empire State Building included a landing area for dirigibles, or airships! Raskob and Smith decided to build the Empire State Building in New York City. A man named Walter P. Chrysler had the same idea. He had New Yorks Chrysler Building built in 1930. It is almost 1,050 feet (320 meters) tall.

For less than one year, the Chrysler Building was the tallest building in the world.

The following year, the Empire State Building was finished. It opened on May 1, 1931. It was the
tallest building in the world. Lots of people gathered for the grand opening of the Empire State Building on May 1, 1931. Lightning strikes the Empire State Building about one hundred times each year.

The famous skyscraper is 1,250 feet (381 m) tall. Antennas and a lightning rod have been added to the top. They make it 1,454 feet (443 m) tall.

The Empire State Building remained the worlds tallest building for more than forty years. The Empire State Building still towers over most of New York City. Millionsofpeoplevisititevery They travel to the 86th or 102nd floor.

They can see the city from observatories there. Observatories allow people to see far-off distances.

Steel columns run all the way around the Empire State Building. New Inventions New inventions allowed the Empire State Building to be built. Inventors discovered a way to make steel very quickly. The cost of steel went down.

Stronger steel columns and beams were used to support tall skyscrapers. The Empire State Building was one of these. A worker perches on the end of a giant steel beam.

A total of steel columns hold up the Empire State Building. Steelworkers put
in the columns.
They worked high
up in the open air.
Some had no
ropes or nets. Elevators were made safe. Elevators were made safe.

People couldnt climb all of the stairs to the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building. But with elevators, people could get there quickly and easily. The Empire State Building grew taller and taller. At one point, workers added one floor almost every day.

A New Way to Build