Having grown up within a shadow’s fall of the New York City Skyline, I have always admired the beauty of the Empire State Building. Despite being once the tallest building and man-made structure in the world, and still being the most famous of them all, the Empire State Building still holds a few secrets. My favorite is its airship mooring.
Postcard from Walker Evans Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art NYC
According to Skyscraperpage.com, “The observation tower at the top of the Empire State Building was originally intended to be a dock for mooring airships. However, after several futile attempts at mooring a zeppelin in the strong winds present at 1250 feet, the idea was scrapped.”
Article from Modern Mechanics, August 1930
For more information about the Empire State Building’s Airship Mooring and why it was never followed through, visit the official site.
