The Empire State Building is a New York City landmark.
Almost 1 in 10 tourists to NYC visit the building each year and make the trip all the way to the top–over 4 million people each year.
don’t look down
Its spire is famous in its own right, towering over Manhattan and acting as a grip for King Kong.
ummm wtf
Of course, the spire is there as a broadcast signal transmitter, as well as to warn aircraft of the building’s location.
However, one of the original intents of the spire was to act as a mooring mast for airships.
like a G6
Essentially, the project would have made the Empire State Building its own airport, eliminating the need for airships and zeppelins to land in air fields and lowering the number of men needed to bring and keep an airship on the ground (which could be up to 300 in some instances).
However, the project was scrapped because of liability and feasibility–after all, having an airship moored in the middle of New York City doesn’t seem like the safest choice, and one gust of wind would send a hydrogen-filled blimp into Midtown Manhattan.
safety not guaranteed