Empire State Building

The Empire State Building (ESB) unveiled the first phase of its fully reimagined Observatory, the new entrance at 20 West 34th Street.  Part of the decade-long Empire State ReBuilding project, the new entrance provides visitors to ESB's world-famous Observatories with a larger entrance and seamless flow solely for Observatory Guests – repositioning 4.2 million visitors from ESB's Fifth Avenue entrance, and improving the experience for tenants.

The new entrance is the first phase of a redevelopment project which will be complete by the end of 2019.  Every detail of the fully modernized Guest journey has been inspired by feedback from ESB's most valued participants – its Guests, tenants, and the entire ESB community.  It was brought to life by a cross-disciplinary, best-in-class team from the arts and architecture to technology and entertainment industries, to conceive and curate the fully-modernized masterpiece: Thinc Design, Beneville Studios, Ideo, Squint / Opera, JLL, Intersection, Diversified., Skanska, Kubik Maltbie, Thornton Tomasetti, The Lighting Practice, Corgan and Syska Hennessy Group.

In the new entrance, Guests are immediately treated to more space, organized flow, and hints of what will come from the next phases of the redevelopment, from digital hosts to a new lighting ceremony installation. Guests will ascend a grand staircase which splits around a two-story architectural model of ESB.  New electronic, self-service ticket kiosks simplify the presentation of Guests' choices of the myriad of options for their visit.  

"Our leadership in innovation continues with this transformative reimagination of our entrance, the first phase of the completely new Observatory experience," said Anthony E. Malkin, Chairman and CEO of Empire State Realty Trust. "We have a high level of confidence that our work will increase customer satisfaction immensely and drive bottom-line performance.  We have already transformed the Empire State Building into the Urban Campus within a building, one of the most modern and energy-efficient buildings in the world.  Now, ESB raises the bar for the Guest experience to make it best-in-class, bar none."  Malkin added, "Stay tuned—there's more to come!"

Doors will open to the general public at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 23, 2018, with early access at 7:30 a.m. granted to the first 100 Guests. Showtime Pictures will capture a commemorative photo for the first 100 Guests to enter the new Observatory entrance. 

Additional enhancements to the Observatory experience will be announced with key elements revealed as the new journey is rolled out over the coming months. Stay connected on social via #ESBReimagined. The ESB Observatory will maintain business as usual, open 365 days a year from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.  To plan your visit and to purchase tickets, please visit www.empirestatebuilding.com.

About the Empire State Building
Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan (from base to antenna), the Empire State Building, owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., is the "World's Most Famous Building." With new investments in energy efficiency, infrastructure, public areas and amenities, the Empire State Building has attracted first-rate tenants in a diverse array of industries from around the world. The skyscraper's robust broadcasting technology supports major television and FM radio stations in the New York metropolitan market. The Empire State Building was named America's favorite building in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects, and the Empire State Building Observatory is one of the world's most beloved attractions as the region's #1 tourist destination.