Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan , New York City . It was designed by Shreve , Lamb & Harmon and completed in 1931 . The building has a roof height of and stands a total of tall , including its antenna . Its name is derived from " Empire State " , the nickname of New York , which is of unknown origin . the building is the 5th-tallest completed skyscraper in the United States and the 28th-tallest in the world . It is also the 6th-tallest freestanding structure in the Americas . The Empire State Building stood as the world 's tallest building for nearly 40 years until the completion of the World Trade Center 's North Tower in Lower Manhattan in late 1970 . Following the September 11 attacks in 2001 , it was again the tallest building in New York until the new One World Trade Center was completed in April 2012
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Empire State Building