The World's Most Famous Observatory Gets A $165 Million Makeover

The 102nd floor of the Empire State Building, one of the world's iconic spaces, reopened to the public on October 10 upon completion of the third phase of a $165 million redesign of the famous Manhattan building.

"It's the best view of New York City from the center of the city," says Tony Malkin, CEO of Empire State Realty Trust. "You can see all of downtown, six states and two airports. We made it more special and dramatic."

The first two phases of the building's redesign turned the second floor, formerly given over to retail, into a wide-ranging exhibit about the building, reworked and improved the 86th floor observatory and streamlined building access.

"We solved a number of problems with this project," Malkin says. "We had to segregate observatory visitors from tenants in the building: they were using the same Fifth Avenue entrance, and it was too crowded and confusing for tourists. So, we moved the observatory entrance to 34th Street. When the second floor became available," he continues, "we were able to turn that into a series of galleries and interactive exhibits."

The new second floor galleries opened on July 29.

Along with the redesign, Empire State Realty Trust introduced energy efficiency with improved heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, lighting and lighting controls. The program cut $7.5 million in energy costs over the past three years. This year, the iconic property beat its energy-efficiency guarantee by 15.9%, saving $2.8 million.

Construction of the 102nd floor began in January 2019 inside a state-of-the-art suspended 'cocoon,' a circular scaffolding structure that was the highest of its kind in New York. The cocoon allowed work to take place with no impact to guests visiting the 86th floor observatory.

Now guests experience their first "wow" moment when they enter an all glass elevator on the 86th floor. As they travel up 16 stories through a newly renovated glass shaft to 102, they will be provided a never-before-seen look at the inside of the tower's mast and a glimpse of its world-famous tower lights. Once the elevator nears its destination, guests get a sneak peek at the breathtaking views before stepping out onto the observatory.

"In the old construct ion, the 102nd floor observatory had 'bridge of the ship' windows," Malkin says. "We replaced them with 24 crystal-clear, eight-foot-tall windows. Now, you walk up to window and you are suspended over Manhattan."

The 102nd floor is an enclosed, climate-controlled, all-weather space.

"We also restrict the number of people who can be on the 102nd floor at any one time," Malkin explains. "Each person can be up against the glass without touching another person."

He points out that here, as in all the building's public spaces, signs are posted in nine languages.

Tickets to the 86th floor observatory start at $38 and tickets to the 102nd floor Observatory can be purchased for an additional $20 either online at www.empirestatebuilding.com or on-site at kiosks located on the second and 86th floor.