For $550 Million Dollars, The Empire State Building Gets Its Art Deco Back
The first thing that usually dazzles tourists as they hit midtown in New York City is the view of the Empire State Building from almost any street. It stands at the commanding position of center of the city, and is also quiet central to a visitor's plans in NYC, being a tourist mecca. In order to keep up its appearances and continue to dazzle, the Empire State Building has just undergone at $550 million dollar renovation, with the lobby along accounting for $12.5 million of it.
Back in the 1960s, some aesthetic attempts at "modernization" took place—think the Mad Men-era's preoccupation with the future—and as a result, original Art Deco details of the building were covered up. This renovation has revealed at least two shiny Art Deco murals that fell victim to the 1960s revamp, and now they're back to giving the building's lobby an extra oomph of drama.
Visitors to the Empire State Building from now on won't have to deal with scaffolding-covered hallways or construction spots; it's smooth walking and photographing now that the renovation is complete. What's especially nice is the addition of concessions, Art Deco upgrades and "enhanced visitor queuing" on the 86th and 102nd floors.
Hopefully all this money and time put into making the Empire State Building won't just mean prettier scenery inside, but also shorter wait times and less confusion while you wait to head to the tip-top observation deck.
Related Stories:
· Empire State Building Unveils New Lobby [Gothamist]
· Empire State ReBuilding Transforms World's Most Famous Office Building [PRNewswire]
· New York City Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Katie Sokoler/Gothamist]
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