Remember Jeb Corliss? The daredevil that dared attempt to jump off the Empire State Building back in 2006 is back in the papers, with word that the $12 million lawsuit the landmark building filed against him is about to be settled. According to the NY Post, the civil case was closed last week, and Corliss's lawyer Mark Jay Heller says a confidential deal was reached... though building owners say it's not finalized (until next week sometime). more ›

These are some big shoes to fill! The Empire State Building is looking for a new King Kong, to interact with guests at the Observatory. If you think you can portray the famous ape, then head to the open casting call on June 7th (from 2 to 8 p.m.). The ESB's publicity team tells us they are "currently looking for two costume characters who can effectively convey both King Kong and his trainer to create special memories for ESB guests." (But what about Fay Wray's part?) You can find more details here (and if you land the job, you'll probably get to meet a Rockette). Below, some inspiration: more ›

It's been said that every New York City conversation eventually turns to real estate, and this real estate opportunity might just start the conversation to drown out all the others. The New York Times reports that the Malkin family, who own the Empire State Building, will be creating a publicly traded real estate company. Meaning one day you could very indirectly own a piece of the Empire State Building. It's the most expensive lightning rod you'll ever buy. more ›

Are people really worried about getting attacked in the Empire State Building or something? We ask because for the second time this month police have arrested a man for entering the iconic building with a firearm. more ›

For the past 17 years, a handful of lucky couples get married atop the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day—and those couples all get lifetime anniversary passes to the building. But you better put the "lifetime" in quotation marks, as one couple discovered on Monday. more ›

These people bring the idea of taking the stairs to a whole new level every year. It's that time again, the 35th Annual Run-Up at the Empire State Building—where tomorrow people more in shape than us will run up 1,576 stairs... for "fun," or whatever. Last year 300 runners participated, with the winner crossing the 86th floor finish line in just 10 minutes and 16 seconds; the record time, set in 2003, is 9 minutes and 33 seconds. So tomorrow, at least try to get up all of the subway stairs in that amount of time. more ›

For the first time since 1936, the recipient of the Nobel Peace prize was awarded in absentia. Today in Oslo, there was an empty chair on the stage where Liu Xiaobo, 54, would have been, were he not currently serving an 11-year term on subversion charges from the Chinese government. His wife, Liu Xia, is under house arrest. Human Rights in China, the organization responsible for publishing Liu's writings in English, is based in NYC, and today the Times reported on HRC's director Sharon K. Hom's struggle to make it to the airport in time to fly to Oslo. A traffic jam in the Lincoln Tunnel seemed the perfect metaphor for her work as an activist, and, in a lede fraught with hyperbolic pseudo-poignancy, Times columnist Clyde Haberman determined the experience was "almost enough to make anyone think of herself as the victim of human-rights deprivation." Good thing they didn't take the Holland—that's worse than the Holocaust! more ›

Today Clifford the Big Red Dog stopped by the Empire State Building in celebration of Scholastic’s “Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life.” Campaign. Sadly, a giant Clifford will not be attached to the top of the building (a la King Kong in 1983), but the ESB will be lit in red tonight in honor of the campaign, Scholastic’s 90th Anniversary, and—we assume—Clifford. more ›

After their controversial snub of Mother Teresa (justified by the fact that as a privately owned building they have a policy to not recognize religious figures with their lights), the Empire State Building is refusing to honor another historic figure: General Casimir Pulaski. Considered "the father of American cavalry," the Polish general served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and even saved George Washinton's life (according to trusty Wikipedia). So why can't a man who already has his own bridge get any respect from the damn ESB redcoats? more ›

The new Keith de Lellis Gallery exhibit, "New York: A Bird’s-Eye View," contains photographs of New York as we know it in a period of rapid development, between 1870 and 1940. From the Chrysler building's construction, renderings of the Empire State Building's proposed use as a dirigible dock, and City Hall backed by relative nothingness, the mostly government-commissioned photographs capture a skyline trying to stay as current as the city's population, even if that meant falsifying reasons to make the buildings taller. more ›

Oh sure, we hear all the time about drug dealers and faith healers squatting in dilapidated spaces and semi-abandoned buildings all over the city; but how often do you hear about a six-figure lawyer squatting in the Empire State Building? more ›

Anthony Malkin may have spent most of last week bitching about the City Council-approved 15 Penn Plaza project, but as he said in an ad taken out in the New York Times last week, "There will be taller buildings in New York City than the Empire State Building." And while 1 World Trade Center is the only planned building that will reach higher than the Empire State Building's 1,454 feet, a number of other projects are aiming to drastically change the city's skyline, for better or worse. more ›

Mother Teresa may have died nearly 13 years ago, but her legacy lives on, even if the Empire State Building wouldn't shine its lights in blue and white for her last night. But hundreds of protesters still think the iconic building's owner, Anthony Malkin, was wrong to dismiss the request. The Catholic League's William Donohue, who raised a ruckus about this "slight" in June, said, "Why not Mother Teresa? If [she] doesn't make the cut, nobody [does]," and referring to the ESB's claim that religious figures aren't honored that way, "They've done it in the past for religious figures. They did it for the Salesian Sisters last year, they've done it for Pope John Paul II, they've done it for Cardinal O'Connor. That's a lie." more ›

Speaking before the City Council gave a green light to the 15 Penn Plaza skyscraper plan, City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. told the NY Post, "I'm willing to vote based solely on the merits, but I just happen to be very happy that the merits are not on the side of the Empire State Building." Why is Vallone so anti-ESB? Well, he's still annoyed the Empire State Building wouldn't light up in honor of Mother Teresa tonight! more ›

Members of key City Council subcommittees gave the proposed 15 Penn Plaza building their full approval—all 1,216 feet of it. Though a full City Council vote is expected later in the day, the votes signal that the project will be moving forward as planned, regardless of ESB owner Anthony Malkin's protests. The ace in the hole? Vornado Realty Trust promised to employ minority- and women-owned firms. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg gave his two-cents about the 15 Penn Plaza drama, coming out on the side of developers Vornado Realty. He says the 1,216-foot tower would be "great for the city," and said of critics to the Wall Street Journal (paywall), "I don't understand that. You know, anybody that builds a building in New York City changes its skyline. We don't have to run around to every other owner and apologize." And he would know something about not apologizing! more ›

According to a survey conducted by Penn Schoen Berland, 66% of New York visitors said the new 15 Penn Plaza tower would degrade the character of the New York skyline. Which is dangerous, because 92% of them said seeing the skyline made them excited to visit New York. So much for that record tourism year! ESB owner Anthony Malkin was quick to chime in on the results, saying in a statement, "The results are clear. When NYC residents and visitors learn about 15 Penn Plaza and the prospect it presents, they do not like it...The more they hear about 15 Penn Plaza, the less they like." more ›

At a hearing with the zoning and franchises subcommittee of the City Council yesterday, Vornado Realty Trust, the developers behind the proposed 1,200 ft. 15 Penn Plaza, and Empire State Building owner Anthony Malkin made their cases to the committee. more ›

The Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee is holding a hearing to vote on a proposal about 15 Penn Plaza, the controversial new development that the folks at the Empire State Building believe would change the city's skyline for the worse. And ESB owners Malkin Holdings aren't going down without a fight. The "Empire State Building Company" took out a full page ad in the New York Times today, urging the City Council to reject the plan. And according to a new survey, most New Yorkers may back them up. more ›

A few months ago the Catholic League got angry at the Empire State Building planners for not agreeing to light up blue and white to honor Mother Teresa's 100th birthday. City Councilman Peter Vallone proposed a bill to force the building to light up, Brooklyn Borough Hall and the Intrepid both agreed to light, and Christine Quinn called ESB owner Anthony Malkin a hypocrite. But now, some Catholics are saying Mother Teresa wouldn't want her birthday in lights anyway. more ›

After being approved by the City Planning Commission in July, plans for a 1,200-foot tower just two avenues away from the Empire State Building are being reviewed by the City Council. If passed, the tower at 15 Penn Plaza would be a huge change to the New York City skyline. And the Empire State Building isn't happy about it. Anthony Malkin of Malkin Holdings, an ESB owner, wrote to the City Council: more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] These bed bugs have had enough of their movie theater and clothing store infestations. Now, they've taken their terrifying act to the big time, and have settled themselves into the employee changing room at the Empire State Building. But the ESB doesn't seem too worried, telling the Daily News, "Like so many other buildings in New York City, the Empire State Building had a small incident of bedbugs. The occurrence was specific to a uniform storage area in the basement of the building. The area has been treated and fully cleared." Don't they know the mere whiff of an infestation is enough to turn a beloved city icon into a social pariah? more ›