Empire State Building Tries to Grab More Visitors in Top US Tourist Mecca
A new interactive museum on the second floor of the Empire State Building is now open in an effort to lure more visitors to New York City’s most famous skyscraper and one of America's most iconic buildings.
Landlord Empire State Realty Trust poured $165 million in the 10,000-square-foot space over three years, working with architecture, technology and entertainment industries to try to leverage a famous observation deck in the nation's tourism capital that's about to get more sight-seeing competition from new buildings. It also plays off the fact that the building itself is becoming something of a museum piece amid the rapid evolution of Manhattan's 21st century skyline.
The museum fully embraces the Empire State Building's outmoded workings, offering visitors a simulated ride on a vintage Otis elevator. They can view scenes of 1930s New York and peer into the eyes of King Kong, the Hollywood icon that first thrilled movie audiences by climbing the Empire State Building in 1933 in the movie of the same name.
The 89-year-old tower stands in stark contrast to a memorial in the making to early 21st century architecture about a mile west: the Hudson Yards district, a booming area of new offices that's the largest development in the United States. From the observation deck of the Empire State Building, visitors can watch about 13 million square feet of construction underway, according to CoStar data. By 2023, the area is expected to house over 25 million square feet of new commercial space.
While the new construction around New York sets the Empire State Building apart as a still-standing icon of past American ingenuity, its 102nd-floor observatory, however, has suffered from visitor declines over the past two years, owner Empire State Realty Trust said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The museum and improvement projects underway show the landlord's concerted efforts to bolster the building's appeal, especially as new observatory decks at 30 Hudson Yards and One Vanderbilt Avenue in Midtown are ready to open in the coming year, bringing competition to new heights.
The museum gives guests a room-by-room account of the building’s construction, engineering history, and the social and pop culture norms that evolved during its history. The opening marks the second phase of Empire State Realty Trust’s four-phase interior and exterior overhaul of the tower. The real estate investment trust currently is finishing gut renovations of the observatory and a new immersive attraction on the 80th floor. All the work is expected to be complete in November and, until then, the 86th floor is the highest that tourists may traverse.
Jean Yves-Ghazi, president of the Empire State Building Observatory, said in an interview the museum was contrived as a way to deepen ties with visitors after polling found emotional connection the biggest draw.
The attraction is meant to make visiting the Empire State Building a “queue-free experience,” Ghazi said. But it also works to keep the building fresh in the eyes of the city’s nearly 9 million residents and tens of millions of annual visitors.
Similar attractions have been added to several commercial buildings recently. The 49-story 101 Park Ave. office tower hosts American Kennel Club's Museum of the Dog on its first floor, for instance, and the Shops at Hudson Yards mall has the Avant modern art gallery.
Here’s a look at some of the exhibits visitors will see in a typical walk-through, which lasts about 30 to 45 minutes:
For the Record:
The following companies participated in the creation of the museum: Corgan; Diversified; IDEO; Intersection; Jones Lang LaSalle; Kubik Maltbie; Otis Elevator Co.; Skanska; Squint/Opera; Syska Hennessy Group; Tenguerian Models; The Lighting Practice; Thinc Design; and Thornton Tomasetti.
