<P> While plans for the Empire State Building were being finalized, an intense competition in New York for the title of "world's tallest building" was underway. 40 Wall Street (then the Bank of Manhattan Building) and the Chrysler Building in Manhattan both vied for this distinction and were already under construction when work began on the Empire State Building . The "Race into the Sky", as popular media called it at the time, was representative of the country's optimism in the 1920s, fueled by the building boom in major cities . The 40 Wall Street tower was revised, in April 1929, from 840 feet (260 m) to 925 feet (282 m) making it the world's tallest . The Chrysler Building added its 185 - foot (56 m) steel tip to its roof in October 1929, thus bringing it to a height of 1,046 feet (319 m) and greatly exceeding the height of 40 Wall Street . The Chrysler Building's developer, Walter Chrysler, realized that his tower's height would exceed the Empire State Building's as well, having instructed his architect, William Van Alen, to change the Chrysler's original roof from a stubby Romanesque dome to a narrow steel spire . Raskob, wishing to have the Empire State Building be the world's tallest, reviewed the plans and had five floors added as well as a spire; however, the new floors would need to be set back because of projected wind pressure on the extension . On November 18, 1929, Smith acquired a lot at 27--31 West 33rd Street, adding 75 feet (23 m) to the width of the proposed office building's site . Two days later, Smith announced the updated plans for the skyscraper that included an observation deck on the 86th - floor roof at a height of 1,050 feet (320 m), higher than the Chrysler's 71st - floor observation deck . </P> <P> The 1,050 - foot Empire State Building would only be 4 feet (1.2 m) taller than the Chrysler Building, and Raskob was afraid that Chrysler might try to "pull a trick like hiding a rod in the spire and then sticking it up at the last minute ." The plans were revised one last time in December 1929, with a 16 - story, 200 - foot (61 m) metal "crown" and an additional 222 - foot (68 m) dirigible mooring mast . The roof height was now 1,250 feet (380 m), making it the tallest building in the world by far, even without the antenna . The addition of the dirigible station meant that another floor, the now - enclosed 86th floor, would have to be built below the crown; however, unlike the Chrysler's spire, the Empire State's mast would serve a practical purpose . The final plan was announced to the public on January 8, 1930, just before the start of construction . The New York Times reported that the spire was facing some "technical problems", but they were "no greater than might be expected under such a novel plan ." By this time the blueprints for the building had gone through up to fifteen versions before they were approved . Lamb described the other specifications he was given for the final, approved plan: </P> <P> The program was short enough--a fixed budget, no space more than 28 feet from window to corridor, as many stories of such space as possible, an exterior of limestone, and completion date of (May 1), 1931, which meant a year and six months from the beginning of sketches . </P> <P> The contractors were Starrett Brothers and Eken, Paul and William A. Starrett and Andrew J. Eken, who had also constructed other New York City buildings such as the original Stuyvesant Town, Starrett City and Trump Tower . The project was financed primarily by Raskob and Pierre du Pont, while James Farley's General Builders Supply Corporation supplied the building materials . John W. Bowser was the construction superintendent of the proejct, and the structural engineer of the building was Homer G. Balcom . The tight completion schedule necessitated the commencement of construction even though the design had yet to be finalized . </P>

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