Otto English

Myth of the Month

Tall Tales

The Empire State Building first opened its doors to the public on 1 May 1931. Rising to a height of 385m, it was then the tallest building in the world and would retain that accolade until it was surpassed by the World Trade Centre’s Twin Towers in 1972.

Tourists were soon flocking to catch a glimpse of New York City from its famous viewing platform. As they did, ever taller tales began to proliferate, as they did with a number of the skyscrapers on the Big Apple’s horizon.

One early urban myth held that ‘one man had died for every $1 million spent’ on the $40 million construction project – a chilling metaphor for the Babel-istic hubris of the American Dream that it seemed to represent.

Another claimed that there was a secret 103rd floor of the Empire State Building, home to a speakeasy where the city’s most notable citizens whiled away their time sipping martinis.