Really a magnificent lightning! Sorry I didn't take photos but its always a pleasure to walk by the King on the Fifth!

my favorite building.

Yeah me too, never been.

all i can say is
WOW:psycho:
the empire state building must be the most iconic building in the world!
also ive always loved how the empire state building has a tower on top of it!

In response to 'Fastdupree's post #140


This heretical idea is from the 1970s.

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/5...ullpagelk9.jpg

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/2...llpage2ni2.jpg

It's just SO wrong.

^Christ Almighty, but did the ESB, NYC, and the World miss a bullet when those proposals died an extremely deserved death?

Huh. What do ya expect, from the Decade of Polyester Leisure Suits, Disco Balls, and Whip Inflation Now buttons?

Yes. They probably would have been fine had they been origianlly built that way, but the Empire State we know and love is what we have today.

http://gothamist.com/2008/05/15/esb.php

Empire State Building Split for Subway Series

May 15, 2008

http://gothamist.com/attachments/art...5subwayesb.jpg


The Empire State Building will continue its tradition of equally supporting the Mets and Yankees (and whole-heartedly supporting Big City Rivalry) as the two teams enter the Subway Series.

Beginning on Friday, May 16, the north/south sides of the building will be lit in Yankees blue and white, while its east/west sides will be lit in Mets blue and orange. The team who wins the series will have its colors displayed on all four sides of the tower on Monday, May 19.

That's a lot of added pressure! James Connors, General Manager for the Empire State Building, said: “The lighting also gives the players an extra boost -- at the end of the ‘Subway Series,’ the winning team claims the entire crown of New York City’s greatest building.”

Last year the series was split, each team winning two games at home; this year is the last at both current stadiums.

Fun fact: in 1932, a searchlight beacon alerting people for 50 miles that Franklin D. Roosevelt had been elected president of the United States was the first light to shine on top of the Empire State Building. It wasn't until 1977 that the wider range of colors was added, and blue and white lights flashed to announce the Yankees won the World Series.

i love the ESB's lighting and how they change it for these random events :D

Photos from my last trip, 3 weeks ago:

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...s/8c9adf86.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...s/5b6ec403.jpghttp://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...s/725d7043.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...2ad60d71-1.jpghttp://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...s/eb85ba57.jpg

And a 360° pano from the terrace :yes:

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...s/4168a5fd.jpg

are they really adding on to it!
i would love to see that!!

Simply amazing...

^^Yes that was nice to see. It gives you the full understanding on how massive Manhattan is.

:previous:
theres no other skyline like it:yes:
it will always be number 1 in my book

Iconic Empire State Building seeks $660-million loan
Needed to lure bigger tenants

Miles Weiss, Bloomberg
Published: Monday, May 05, 2008


Developer Peter Malkin is seeking to finance a US$660-million renovation of the Empire State Building to lure large firms to New York City's tallest skyscraper, a haven for small businesses for decades.

Wien & Malkin LLC, a New York-based real estate company, is asking investors in Empire State Building Associates LLC to approve borrowing to pay for modernizing the iconic 1930s office tower.

The project will exponentially increase the building's current debt - a US$61-million first mortgage - at a time when many lenders are reluctant to finance commercial real estate projects. Raising the financing shouldn't be a problem, industry analysts said, as the total borrowings would still be less than half of the building's value, estimated at more than US$2-billion.

"When you get a trophy property like that with a very low loan-to-value ratio, there would be a lot of lenders that would be comfortable" providing the cash, said Cedrik Lachance, a senior analyst at Green Street Advisors, a Newport Beach, California, firm that provides research on real estate investment trusts. "A building like that would be worth dramatically in excess" of the total borrowings.

The new loan would leave the property with debt ranging from US$660-million to almost US$825-million, according to Bloomberg calculations based on documents filed April 24th with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and interviews with real estate analysts.

Hard Times

The building, though famous, had fallen on hard times in recent years, in part because of poor management and in part because it was in a section of midtown Manhattan that was a less desirable market for office space, said Robert Sammons, research director at Colliers ABR Inc., a New York-based real estate broker. Now the area is more in demand.

"It just hasn't been on the radar screen for most tenants," Sammons said. Now "that whole area of midtown south has a strong appeal to a number of tenants because it is a mixed use neighborhood" with shops and residential buildings as well as offices.

Thomas Keltner, general counsel at Wien & Malkin, declined to comment. Peter Malkin, the firm's chairman, also heads the Associates partnership, which controls the building until 2076.

Malkin is improving the Empire State building's infrastructure and amenities, creating larger office spaces, and raising rents as part of a new leasing strategy for the landmark, located at 350 Fifth Ave., between 33rd and 34th streets in Manhattan. The goal is to bring in larger, more creditworthy tenants to the 102-story building, which was occupied by almost 700 businesses and firms at the end of 2006, according to SEC filings.

'Small Tenant Building'

"Historically, this was known as a small tenant building," said Stephen Eynon, a first vice president at CB Richard Ellis Group Inc., the brokerage that is marketing the property's office space. "We are looking to attract larger corporate users."

The building's occupancy rate had fallen to 79% as of April 7, according to the filing, in part because management is warehousing space to create larger offices for tenants, Eynon said. The building's rental rates on new office leases are now about US$52 to US$63 a square foot, up from US$32 to US$42 a year ago.

The total cost of the overhaul will be about US$660-million, including US$442-million for renovations to common areas and upgrades to electrical, heating, security and other systems, the April SEC filing shows. Another US$218-million will be spent to improve office spaces for tenants and to pay leasing commissions and finance closing costs.

'Unusual' Spending

"To spend that much just on a renovation is very unusual," said Woody Heller, executive managing director at Studley Inc., a New York-based real estate brokerage. "But there are very few buildings as large as this one, so by definition all the numbers are going to be very big."

The property may be worth about US$1,000 a square foot, said Heller, which would equal almost US$2.8-billion based on the 2.75-million rentable square feet listed in the SEC filing.

According to the April 24 filing, the additional borrowing will raise projected debt after ten years to about US$300 a square foot. That would equal about US$824-million, based on the building's 2.75-million square feet of rental office and retail space, as listed in the filing. The documents didn't say whether the projected debt figure includes the existing US$61-million mortgage.

The projected debt would be as much as 20% lower, or closer to US$660-million, were it based on usable square footage as opposed to rentable square footage, said Dan Fasulo, managing director of Manhattan-based Real Capital Analytics.

"It's more common for older buildings to have a bigger difference between usable and rentable space," said Fasulo, whose firm provides research and consulting services on the commercial real estate industry. "There is a lot more wasted space" in common areas such as corridors, he said.

In the filing, Wien & Malkin said that mortgage interest rates are "extremely low compared to historic levels." The documents also said that discussions are under way with several institutional lenders "who have indicated an ability and desire to proceed."

The Empire State Building's ownership structure is complex. The building itself is owned by W&H Properties, a partnership between the Malkin family and the late Leona Helmsley, according to Eynon. Empire State Building Associates, which has some 2,764 investors, holds a master lease on the building until 2076 and also owns the underlying land, purchased in 2002 through the US$61-million first mortgage.

The building, completed in 1931, was conceived by former General Motors Corp. executive John Jakob Raskob to be higher than Walter Chrysler's Art Deco tower on 42nd Street.

Bloomberg.com

This needs to get done. In the next few years when the area around Penn Station changes, there will be even more demand for modern office space.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/26/ny...on&oref=slogin

An Occasion to Wear ‘Empire State Burgundy’

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...iform1.600.jpg

Robert Gross, a guard at the Empire State Building, at a fitting with Jennifer L. Busch, and her father, Stuart, of I. Buss Uniform Company. Ms. Busch said she used design elements that are “classic for Art Deco,” evoking a time when the building was new.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...iform0.190.jpg

A makeover inside the building was extended to the uniforms.


By JAMES BARRON
May 26, 2008

Fifteen years after the movie “Sleepless in Seattle” gave his workplace even more fame, Robert Gross finally has a uniform that is camera worthy.

Mr. Gross is a guard at the Empire State Building who is usually posted at the 86th-floor observatory. The view from there is something. The uniforms that he and his colleagues used to wear — plain polo shirts and dark slacks — were not.

But his on-duty look is changing. The building is getting something of a makeover inside, and the building’s owners decided to extend that to custom-made uniforms that have just been delivered — 300 uniforms, each including 3 jackets, 4 pairs of slacks and 11 shirts.

The uniforms were hand-trimmed in a workroom 10 blocks from the Empire State Building. The building commissioned a Manhattan company that makes the uniforms seen on many apartment doormen and on some staff members at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the United Nations and the Waldorf-Astoria.

“I love that they’re doing this more formal look,” said Jennifer L. Busch, a vice president of the uniform company, I. Buss. “They were in polo shirts. That’s not a uniform.”

I. Buss has off-the-rack styles like the Gramercy, a three-button double-breasted jacket, and the Windsor, a two-button single-breasted. But the Empire State Building wanted something special. So Ms. Busch, whose great-grandfather started the company in 1892, scoured old photographs to find a look that was in style when the Empire State Building was new.

It opened in 1931, when Art Deco designers were celebrating the Machine Age. Ms. Busch soon settled on a distinctively Art Deco look.

That led her to design uniforms that are a throwback, but not just in appearance. In the 1930s, such outfits were probably made by hand. I. Buss still makes its clothes by hand, with Trevor Lett cutting the fabric and Ms. Busch’s 73-year-old father, Stuart, doing the fitting.

The jackets’ sleeves bear chevrons. “This is a classic for Art Deco,” she said.

The rest of the jacket is a particular shade of red — “Empire State burgundy.” It is a custom color chosen to match the setting in which the uniforms will be worn, the building’s marble corridors.

“We thought if you look at the different marbles here, you’ll see a common theme, which is maroon,” said James T. Connors, the building’s general manager. “That’s where the color came from.”

Ms. Busch also designed ties with a special logo — the building against a starburst pattern, also an Art Deco touch. And she worked out a custom-made typeface for the hats that go with the uniforms. That typeface will also be used on signs for stores in the building, and was approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission because the building is a city landmark.

The new uniforms were commissioned to coincide with a $500 million renovation intended to give the Empire State Building a look that is “historically accurate and historically reminiscent,” Mr. Connors said.

The plans call for removing dropped ceilings in the lobby that were installed in the 1950s, he said. That will expose the original ceilings, making the corridors look pretty much the way they looked when Alfred E. Smith, the former governor of New York, signed on as the Empire State Building’s first manager.

The new uniforms presented another problem: how to store them and distribute them at the beginning of each shift. “Moving from slacks and a golf shirt to this fairly cumbersome package resulted in the challenge of how to manage and house it all,” Mr. Connors said. “We looked at a much larger locker room, or a much smaller room” where the uniforms could be stored and handed out by a clerk.

Instead, the building installed an automated system that Mr. Connors said was the first of its kind in New York, though it has been popular with casinos. It dispenses and collects the uniforms automatically.

An employee swipes his identification card at a device that looks like a cash machine. Inside, a rack like something out of a dry cleaner’s shop whirls. A door opens, and the employee can reach in and lift out his uniform, on its hanger.

It works for any employee with a uniform — and that includes Mr. Connors. After all, he said, “I was often the model for the jacket.”

sorry to be off topic but is there a thread on time warner center

Empire State, I love you!
My next excursion to the US may well be to NYC..As long as I can find somebody to split the hotel fees with me, they're freaking expensive.

are they cleaning the outside of the ESB because alot of old building are being cleaned on the outside to make it look new

Great to see that they approached even the uniforms in such a meticulous manner. Makes the whole restoration sound very promising.

I like the typeface as well

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...iform0.190.jpg

i LOVE that building!! and the views from the deck are awesome! :cool:

http://ny.therealdeal.com/articles/e...-for-purchases

Empire State Building loan may be used for purchases



Empire State Building
By Adam Pincus

The real estate firm that controls the Empire State Building is asking the tower's investors to agree in principal to the purchase of additional real estate with funds obtained through a refinancing of the iconic tower, according to a financial statement.

In a filing yesterday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, real estate firm Wien & Malkin LLC sought consent from investors in Empire State Building Associates, which owns the tower and the land under it, to use funds from a refinancing to purchase property.

The firm wrote in its statement that financing for purchases would "exploit favorable buying opportunities" at a time when "highly leveraged investors can no longer buy property and may be forced to sell."

Thomas Keltner, general counsel of Wien & Malkin, which leads the Empire State Building Associates, said the firm would not comment.

In April, Peter Malkin, the chairman of Wien & Malkin, asked investors to sign off on $660 million in financing for an ambitious renovation. The loan would increase the debt load of the building by 10-fold from its current $60.5 million first mortgage.

The 2.7-million-square-foot building, the tallest in New York City, is valued at $2 billion, according to analysts. The refinancing is capped at 50 percent of the appraised value of the property held.

The building joined the W&H Portfolio in 2007. The firm controls nine office towers, including the Lincoln Building at 60 East 42nd Street, 250 West 57th Street, 1359 Broadway and 501 Seventh Avenue.

The Empire State Building was 78 percent leased as of May. New office leases range from $53 to $63 per square foot, up from $32 to $42 per foot the year before, the firm reported.

Wien and Malkin proposed a $625 million renovation in the filing, including a $13 million restoration of the landmarked lobby, a $53 million refurbishment of the observation decks and the consolidation of smaller spaces into entire floorplates, in an effort to increase rents.

Eric Anton, executive managing director with brokerage Eastern Consolidated, said the weakening property market made it a good time for the owners to use the building's equity to finance additional purchases.

"It sounds good to me, it makes a lot of sense," Anton said. "It is tax efficient and a good time to buy."

Arnold Bressler, a partner at the law firm Moses and Singer, which specializes in corporate and securities law and was not involved in the proposal, said the owners likely wanted to have equity to move quickly if an attractive property became available.

"This is a way for management to respond more flexibly to opportunities because this is a pretty cumbersome process," he said. "The real estate market would not necessarily allow for that kind of timetable."

The federal filing, known as a pre 14A, was submitted as a preliminary notice to shareholders about issues that will be voted on at a future shareholders meeting.

Yea no matter what that is one kick ass building with kick ass views.

are they cleaning the outside of the building i just need to know

That's already a big jump in rents for the ESB. The renovation will only improve that, and this tower deserves to be one of the best.

Amazing. any shots from floors 101 and 102?

I visited the 102 obs. back in the late 80's.

I'm not sure, but I would just LOVE to see the Mast restored to its pristine condition! (But keep the antenna!! It's become too much of the "iconic" image of the ESB to be gotten rid of!)

They're not going to get rid of the antenna.

BTW, here's Mariah at the ESB

That antenna is where most of New York's media outlets broadcast their signals so it won't be coming down anytime soon.

I'm yet to go up it, will for sure the next time I go there.

http://weblogs.amny.com/entertainmen...on_friday.html

Mega Starbucks to open at Empire State on Friday

http://weblogs.amny.com/entertainmen...bux2-thumb.gif

Work was under way Wednesday at the city's newest Starbucks, opening Friday at the Empire State Building.


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Just when you thought the Seattle coffee chain couldn't possibly get a larger presence in New York, Starbucks goes and opens an outlet at the base of Gotham's most famous landmark. The coffee shop opens Friday on the West 34th Street side of the Empire State Building, with a grand opening celebration set for June 12.

Previously billed as New York's largest Starbucks, the store is now being described by the Edelman public-relations firm as one of the largest Starbucks in the city. It will also be one of the few locations in the city that is two stories.

-- Garett Sloane

New York City -The Starbucks capital of the World....though this one should have been located on the 86th floor :haha:

If I'm not mistaken, there's already a Starbucks accross 33rd Street, or something like it. But now that they've taken over a chunk of ESB groundspace, they have arrived!

No wonder it's the "City That Never Sleeps"! :haha:

We will probably see a Starbucks outlet at Freedom Tower also.

You can't spell "Freedom" without "Starbucks"!

...Actually, You can. But Starbucks would like you to believe otherwise.

id never realized the rents at the ESB were so cheap compared to other spots in Midtown. Those office spaces should have been eaten up like hotcakes. There is an astonishing 594k sq feet of office space open

You can spell 'brats suck' though. But I like them with mustard.

your right it would be weird to see the esb without an antenna again
but threre is alot of junk on the tower on the esb that needs to be taken off!

:haha: :haha: :haha:
LOL

The ESB hasn't been in the top tier of office space for years, renting primarily to smaller tenants. But over the past couple of years, as tenants have moved out, management has been consolidating spaces to create larger blocks of space. Together with the upgrade, this will bring the classic back.

but thats my point. sure its not grade A so its not going to be getting financial firms or anything, but its an icon, and its cheap compared to a lot of manhattan. what shape can it be in that its having trouble filling 500k?

The antenna is too much of a cash cow to get rid of it, especially since the WTC went down and all the broadcasting companies went back to the ESB. Before 9/11 the antenna had only one tenant left, but a few months after the tragedy the tenant count was up to 14 or so, crowding maintenance space again and bringing the antenna to its full capacity.

Depends on what you mean. Are you talking smaller tenants or the type looking for "larger" blocks of space. They've had a policy there for a while of trying to consolidate space when smaller tenants move out.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Taylor...g.-a0179535685

Real Estate Weekly

Taylor moves digs to Empire State Building.

May 21, 2008

Taylor, which handles lifestyle, sports and entertainment public relations, has recently moved from 14 Penn Plaza to the 38th floor of the Empire State Building. Aragon Construction, a leading New York City-based general contracting, construction management and consulting firm, completed a full-floor build-out for the 25,000 s/f space.

Aragon's Michael Trocchia served as project manager for the build-out, which included construction of walls, ceilings, and floors as well as extensive millwork, specialty lighting, new AC units, plumbing systems, bathrooms, as well as a video production, editing and satellite broadcast studio.

"This was an exciting project because it began as a large raw, demoed space with 30-year old bathrooms and old machine rooms," says Trocchia. "In its place, we have built a showplace for Taylor in New York's most famous office building."

The perimeter of the floor is comprised of glass front offices and conference rooms that facilitate and encourage a creative environment. The design also features a reception area with mosaic tile walls and a generously sized serving bar and sink suitable for town hall meetings and entertaining. A lounge, living room space and open pantry provide additional seating options, while the non-public areas in four quadrants have open workstations. Millwork walls with wooden display boxes not only serve as storage, but also a gallery for client items and products. Materials, such as limestone and glass tile were integrated with wood and carpeting throughout to create a classic modern, yet light aesthetic.

Taylor is one of the first office tenants to take advantage of one full floor. An open and collaborative environment was created in the space that can be used as a model for other corporate tenants in the building. The glass front offices without doors, in addition to the various breakout areas, will offer several opportunities for communication between the company's leadership and the workforce.

The Taylor build-out is one of many projects Aragon is completing, or has completed, in the Empire State Building. Aragon recently renovated the building's lobby, new observation deck, entire 25th floor and is currently upgrading a retail space on the ground level, to be occupied by Starbucks.

Interesting shots. Many thanks for uploading!

Would like to see something of the lobby and some offices or other interiors. Anyone?


PS: I'm registered since ages, but that's my 1st post over here. So I claim a warm welcome! :D

For the first time in my life last Saturday I went to the top of the ESB. Short of it raining, the view was as amazing as I anticipated. I was on of the last to be allowed on the outside deck being that at the time it was drizzling, but within a few minutes the thunder storms rumbled in. So I was able to experience the view from outside only for a few minutes. I stuck around indoors for a few minutes because it got too cloudy to the point where I could barley make out the WR Grace Building.

Let me tell you though did I underestimate the lines. I was absolutely amazed on the amount of lines, let alone the total wait. There was a line to take a ‘souvenir’ picture, to get tickets, go through security, the elevators. Then they drop you on the 80th floor, and sure enough another line. The way down too was also a hike. You had to go through gift shops, etc….

All in all though it was worth the few minutes I got to see of the view. I’ll probably make my way up there again when I know for sure the weather will be enjoyable. It was quite the experience though.

As far as the lobby goes there are signs of renovation everywhere. Scaffolding basically covers the lobby on 5th. Security was also tight. All the employees were sporting the new uniforms and there were NYPD officers on Fifth with the M16’s. I did feel safe though and I was glad to see all the security.

My advice, only visit the ESB obsevation deck if you have time to spare. Be prepeared to wait and wait long.