THE ATOMIC

(Assigned/Feature)

By Trevor Normile

At times, mankind’s endeavors of craftsmanship and cooperation have danced in the realm of the unbelievable. Projects born from truly artistic vision come to life in concert with the sweat of the brow.

The Empire State Building towers above the Manhattan cityscape, a singularity of magnificence. According to the its official website, the building is revered not only for being an “awe-inspiring landmark which offers one of the most spectacular views on earth but an unequaled symbol of American ingenuity”.

It is precisely that ingenuity that won the Empire State Building a place on the American Society of Civil Engineers’ list of Wonders of the Modern World along with other feats such as the Panama Canal and the underwater Channel Tunnel.

The ASCE list states that the project’s most impressive feat was the “speed in which it rose into the New York City skyline”.

The Empire State Building’s tourist site reads that the massive building was finished ahead of schedule, with construction beginning January 22, 1930 and completion in March 17, 1931. “This is still a record for a skyscraper of such height,” it continues.

The ASCE also lists the sheer amount of materials used in the construction, the expenditure and furious pace of which simply boggles the mind.

-58,000 tons of steel frame were riveted together
-Plumbers laid 51 miles of pipe
-Electricians installed 17 million feet of telephone wire

In his 1997 book, A Dream Well Planned: The Empire State Building, John Tauranac compared it to a human body, having bones (steel) as well a skin (the walls).

America is no stranger to large buildings, but it’s New York’s towering behemoth that exemplifies the wonders of the modern era. Tauranac writes that, “in the opinion of architects such as Harvey Wiley Corbett, skyscrapers were America’s great gift to architecture, the first new structural form since the ancient Romans invented the arch”.

Much like the impressive yet ultimately doomed Titanic (another symbol of modern wealth and beauty), the Empire State Building was put to the test July 28, 1945, when it was struck by a veteran pilot in a B-25 bomber plane.

According to the Empire State Building’s website, the pilot was a decorated veteran with 100 combat missions. As he was flying from Bedford, Massachusetts to Newark New Jersey, a thick layer of fog settled, causing the pilot to become disoriented and crash.

Unlike the Titanic, the building continues to stand.

The American Society of Civil Engineers writes, “Although it has been surpassed as the world’s tallest building, the Empire State Building remains the standard against which all other skyscrapers have been judged for the last 65 years.”

The romance and power of the modern era were captured when the project was completed. Inside, the marble walls are adorned with steel plaques, and the shape of the building is emblazoned on everything.

One of the greatest engineering feats of all time, The Empire State Building remains a shining paradigm of American culture.

(Assigned/Feature)