No. 9 in 2013: Death-defying Empire State Building construction photos

Worker clings to a wire during construction of the Empire State Building. Credit: Lewis Wickes HineWorker clings to a wire during construction of the Empire State Building. Credit: Lewis Wickes Hine

In July, we unearthed some very old photos from the New York Public Library’s digital collection. Taken in 1931 they chronicle the construction of New York City’s famed Empire State Building. The $25 million project took a little more than a year to complete and at certain points, more than 3,400 workers were on the job at the same time. Check out the full gallery of photos by clicking here. (Trust us, if you haven’t seen these yet check them out.)

 

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