The building was designed by architect William Lamb, of the firm Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates. The construction firm was Starrett Brothers and Eken.

Pictured: Financier John J. Raskob (left) and former New York Governor Alfred E. Smith are seen with a model of the proposed Empire State Building - what would be the tallest building in the world, to be built in New York City - on Jan. 7, 1930.

Construction began on St. Patrick's Day, 1930, on Fifth Avenue bordered by 33rd and 34th Streets.

It was the site of the original Waldorf Astoria Hotel, which was purchased and razed to make way for the new building.

Construction of the Empire State Building.

Construction of the Empire State Building.

In contrast to the economic stagnation of the Great Depression, the project was a model of productivity, rising at a phenomenal rate of four-and-a-half stories per week.

Construction of the Empire State Building.

About 3,400 laborers worked in constructing the Empire State Building. Five workers died on the project.

The building cost $24.7 million to construct (nearly $41 million when factoring in the land costs).

The Empire State Building was officially opened on May 1, 1931. It took just 410 days to construct it.

The art deco lobby of the Empire State Building.

The Empire State Building has 103 floors and is 1,250 ft tall. With the broadcast spire added in the 1950s, the height became 1,454 ft.

Until the World Trade Center opened in 1972 the Empire State was the tallest building in the world.

Because of wind conditions, the dirigible Columbia failed in its attempt to pick up mail from the mooring mast of the Empire State Building, Sept. 30, 1931.

Tentative plans to use the uppermost floors of the building as a debarkation point for zeppelin passengers (believed to be a less-than-serious marketing ploy) fell by the wayside for good after the explosion of the Hindenburg in Lakehurst, N.J., in 1936.

The Empire State Building became an indelible part of the world's pop culture consciousness with its appearance in the 1933 film, "King Kong." As the giant ape scales the world's tallest building (actually a model for the stop-motion puppet), with Fay Wray in its grasp, the potent visuals added even more drama to the movie's tragic conclusion.

Riggers install a lightning rod atop a pole extending 60 feet above the topmost pinnacle of the Empire State Building on May 24, 1947 - part of an investigation into lightning by scientists working for General Electric.

The Empire State Building hosted radio broadcasts even before it was completed, and was the transmission site of a broadcast of "RKO Theatre On The Air" on the night of May 1, 1931, when the building was officially opened for business.

Antennae on its upper floors and the mooring mast were used for radio and experimental TV broadcasts beginning in the 1930s. By 1950 several TV and radio stations were broadcasting from separate antennae on the Empire State Building (and from various locations around Manhattan), prompting the construction of a multiple antenna tower. In addition, more than 130 antennas provide point-to-point radio/data communications services to utility and telecommunications companies and public safety agencies.

The Empire State Building peeks out from low-lying clouds, as photographed from the 69th floor of the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, Aug. 18, 1943.

Smoke billows from the Empire State Building on July 28, 1945, after an Army B-25 bomber, flying through fog en route to Newark Airport, crashed into the upper floors of the structure. Fourteen people died.

Betty Lou Oliver, an elevator operator on the 80th floor, was injured by the crash. After being treated with first aid, she was placed in an elevator to take her to a waiting ambulance. However, the elevator car's safety cable had been severed, and the car plunged 75 floors. Incredibly, Oliver survived, and holds the Guinness World Record for the Longest Fall Survived in an Elevator.

Revolving beacon lights installed on the Empire State Building, visible for 80 miles, are tested on April 11, 1956.

Since the Empire State Building's opening, more than 100 million people have visited its observation decks, including these three ballerinas in 1960.

The Empire State Building is shown with the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center nearing completion in the background, Oct. 11, 1972.

The Manhattan skyline.

Lightning hits the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center during a storm on Aug. 28, 1979.

The Empire State Building is struck by lighting, on average, 23 times a year.

A view of the Empire State Building at night.

In 1983, a giant inflatable King Kong was hoisted to the Empire State Building's mooring mast to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the movie. Unfortunately high winds did a number on the balloon, and its tenure on top of the world was almost as brief as Kong's.

Tourists fill the observation deck of the Empire State Building Tuesday, Feb. 25, 1997, taking in views of the World Trade Center, far left.

On clear days visitors can see five states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts - more than 100 miles away.

The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center burn behind the Empire State Building in New York, Sept. 11, 2001.

An iconic setting for Hollywood romances like "An Affair to Remember" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the Empire State Building was chosen by USA Today readers as the "Best Place to Propose" in the world. (Take that, Paris!)

Pictured: Newlyweds Air Force Captain John Wu and Stephanie Hull, both from Louisville, Kentucky, kiss as they pose for photographers after being wed Monday Feb. 14, 2011 on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building in New York. They were one of 14 couples from around the country exchanging vows during the 17th annual Empire State Building and TheKnot.com Valentine's Weddings Event.

The Empire State Building is silhouetted by fireworks during Macy's 37th annual Fourth of July fireworks show, July 4, 2013, in New York City.

Large images of endangered species are projected on the south facade of the Empire State Building, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2015. The large scale projections are in conjunction with the documentary "Racing Extinction."

According to researchers from Cornell University studying uploads to the photo sharing site Flickr, the Empire State Building is one of the most photographed landmarks in the world, and the most photographed in New York City.

The moon is seen in its waxing stage as it rises behind the Empire State Building, seen from the Hudson River waterfront in Hoboken, N.J., Tuesday, March 22, 2016.

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By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan