Empire State Building rediscovers its Deco roots
Photo courtesy New York Preservation Society
By Rebecca Wolfson and Garett Sloane
There was a time when the Empire State Building offered a view of the heavens from its grand lobby.
A celestial panorama was painted in gold leaf on the ceiling of the original entryway. In the 1960s, during renovations, the mural was covered by a drop ceiling, obscuring for decades the abstract scene of once-lustrous stars and planets.
Soon a re-creation of the stars will shine again, as will the entire lobby, which is being restored to how it looked when the World’s Tallest Building — at the time — opened May 1, 1931, on 34th Street and Fifth Avenue.
Wien & Malkin, the managing owners, are not ready to discuss the preservation effort, and no completion date is set.
The estimated $600 million renovation of the 102-story Art Deco structure is being headed by Beyer Binder Belle. When it is complete, everything down to the lighting fixtures in the lobby will evoke the spirit of the 1930s.
amNewYork Photo/ RJ Mickelson
WHAT IS CHANGING:
1. The detailed restoration includes a redesign of the fonts used inside and outside the building. The new Art Deco typeface — for signs from the lobby to the elevator banks to storefronts — is more true to the typographic trends at the time the building opened.
2. The celestial mural — a gold-leaf-on-canvas painting — is an abstract depiction of suns, moons and stars in motion. The original painting has been ruined by slapped-on white paint from renovations in past generations and would cost too much to restore. EverGreene Painting Studios, an art conservation specialist, will recreate the scene on the ceiling of the lobby. The new mural should match the historic one, according to a permit approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
3. Removing the drop ceiling will open the full height of the lobby. Bridges that jut across and overlook the lobby from the second floor also will be restored.
4. A new reception desk will be installed at the 34th Street entrance, the escalators will be removed and a new chandelier will be installed.
5. The lobby will feature new cast glass light fixtures, based on drawings by the original architects. The idea is to bring the lighting level closer to what it would have been when the building opened.
6. The renovation includes new hand-trimmed Art Deco-style burgundy uniforms for the building’s staff. The custom Art Deco typeface also appears on the uniform badges and caps.
7. Blemished elements of the building’s storefronts will be improved, such as the “shabby look of the recessed entry,” the mismatched window frames and the exposed window sills, according to the preservation permit.
8. Beyond the restoration of the lobby — which is the only interior aspect of the plan that had to be approved for preservation purposes — the rest of the building is getting a tuneup. For all its grandeur, the Empire State Building has never been equipped to house large tenants. The renovation that will open the office space floor plans, modernize technology and upgrade the HVAC system is intended to help the owners attract larger, new kinds of tenants. Coty, the world’s largest fragrance company, has already leased 90,000 square feet, which includes the entire 14th floor and part of the 15th floor.
WHAT’S GOING
* Glass panels depicting the “Seven Wonders of the Modern World” have already been removed from the lobby. They were added in the ’60s, thus not true to the original.
* Another loss will be the tenant directory in the heart of the lobby. It will be replaced by a permanent or rotating art piece.
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When the Empire State Building was named a national landmark in 1985, much of its original beauty was already lost, but the current stewards, Wien & Malkin, are bringing it back, to the delight of many:
On the project’s importance
“Bringing back any original feature that allows people to see what the original architects created is not only important for the city, but also is what landmark preservation is all about.”
Robert Tierney, the president of New York City’s Landmark Preservation Commission, the body charged with approving the project.
On the lobby’s revival
“I think the mere fact that [owner Peter L. Malkin] is restoring the lobby to what I assume is the original configuration, I think, is a great tribute to him. It will make the building that much more inviting and that much more historically accurate.”
John Tauranac, author of the 1997 book “The Empire State Building: The Making of a
Landmark”
On the tower’s artistic significance
“Now there’s a triptych of buildings that look good and give a sense of the Art Deco period in New York City [the Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center and now the Empire State Building]. All of these buildings have beautiful murals,” a typical element of high-class office buildings built during the time period.
Frank Sanchis, a senior vice president of the Municipal Art Society of New York, a nonprofit organization committed to livable urban design and planning.
On the renovation’s chief challenge
“[The Empire State Building] is one of the most important buildings in the city, if not the country, if not the world. The trick is to come out of this with something that looks like it always has, only fresher.”
Peg Breen, president of the New York
Landmarks Conservancy
(Rebecca Wolfson)
