The Empire State Building is the former tallest structure in New York City and the entire world. It is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper standing 1455 feet (443 m) counting the antenna spire. It was built between 1930 and 1931 and surpassed the Chrysler Building as the tallest structure on Earth at the time.[1]
Coverage[]
The Empire State Building is featured in the Life After People Documentary and in Heavy Metal.
Documentary[]
The Empire State Building is apart of the background in 1 day after people when the New York City power grid failed causing blackout across the city including the building.
In 200 years after people, the documentary explained the Empire State Building, with sea levels already on the rise and over the centuries, saturated soil around the building foundation pilings have allowed the building to lean. Gordon Masterton stated that once a building strays from the vertical, gravity forces will act against the structure which increase the stress at the base of the building. He then continues stating that once it starts to incline, gravitational force cause the top of the building to collapse downward on top of itself. This cause the Empire State Building to collapse.
Heavy Metal[]
In Heavy Metal, the blackout was diverted from 1 to 2 days, this didn't affect the timeline at all but a blackout to its lights, cause by the failing grid of New York City, eventually reaching Times Square.
In 200 years after people, the episode featured not just the Empire State Building, but the Chrysler Building as well. After 200 years, the silhouette of New York is a throwback to the Great Depression before showing the history of both skyscrapers. Both were completed in the early 1930s when the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building once vied to be the tallest buildings in the world. The Chrysler Building held the crown, [for] less than the year, before the Empire State Building surpassed it. But in 200 years after people and long rivalry, the Empire State Building leans and collapse, causing it to slip from the skyline, but without further explanation unlike the documentary/about saturated soil.