Empire State Building

History

The Empire State Building has been an architectural icon since it opened in 1931 as the world’s tallest building. It boasted more than 2 million square feet of speculative office space that could be combined and subdivided in innumerable ways to meet tenants’ needs. Its Art Deco interiors are unparalleled. While the building today faces competition from newer office towers, the elan of the Empire State Building remains strong.

The Challenge

When the owners sought to improve the financial viability of the property, they developed a multi-pronged approach – repair the bones of the building, restore significant historic elements including the Art Deco lobby, renovate office floors for contemporary users, freshen the visitor experience and, most important, improve energy efficiency.

Our Solutions

Rosin Preservation was hired to prepare historic tax credit applications for the project, providing the owner with a level of expertise unmatched by local consultants.

Because many of the improvements had already been completed, a “forensic” project approach was required. We photographed the building, documenting both renovated and unrenovated conditions in public, private/tenant and back-of-house areas. Plans and construction period photographs were acquired from architects, engineers and construction managers. We reviewed these in depth to ensure that all work — both completed and proposed — would meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

Once the team had a thorough understanding of the building and the project, we developed a four-phase application that broke the work into manageable pieces. Our team mapped out improvements that touched virtually every part of the iconic building, from masonry, windows and roof, to lobbies, office suites, retail storefronts and restrooms, to energy upgrades and specialized improvements in visitor-experience areas.

These enhancements make it possible for future generations to experience the best version of this world-famous landmark.