Empire State Building

[RJB]

For those of you who need a really big base:

 

The Empire State Building rises to 381 m (1,250 feet) at the 102nd floor, and including the 203 foot pinnacle its full height reaches 443 m (1,453 ft and 8 9/16th in). The building has 85 stories of commercial and office space (200,465 m²/ 2,158,000 sq. ft.) and an indoor and outdoor observation deck on the 86th floor. The remaining 16 stories represent the art deco tower, which is capped by a 102nd floor observatory. Atop the tower is the 203 foot pinnacle, much of which is covered by broadcast antennas, with a lightning rod at the very top. The Empire State Building is the first building to have more than 100 floors. It also has over 100 bathrooms (lavatories). The Empire State Building has 6,500 windows and 73 elevators. There are 1,860 steps from street level to the 102nd floor. It has a total floor area of approximately 254,000 m² (2,768,591 sq. ft.). The base of the Empire State Building is about 0.8 ha (2 acres). The building houses 1,000 businesses, and has its own zip code. As of 2007, approximately 20,000 employees work in the building each day, making the Empire State Building the second largest single office complex in America, after the Pentagon. The building was completed in one year and 45 days. Its original sixty-four elevators are located in a central core. Today, the Empire State Building has 73 elevators in all, including service elevators. It takes less than one minute by elevator to get to the 86th floor, where an observation deck is located. The building has 70 miles of pipe and 2,500,000 feet of electrical wire.[19] The building is heated by low pressure steam. Despite its height, the building only requires between two and three pounds per square inch (0.14 to 0.21 kg. per cm²) of steam pressure for heating. The building weighs approximately 330,000 Mg (370,000 tons). The Empire State Building cost $40,948,900 to build.

 

At 9:40 a.m. on Saturday July 28, 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber, piloted by Lieutenant Colonel William F. Smith who was flying in a thick fog, accidentally crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building between the 79th and 80th floors, where the offices of the National Catholic Welfare Council were located. One engine shot through the side opposite the impact and another plummeted down an elevator shaft. The fire was extinguished in 40 minutes. Fourteen people were killed in the incident.[13] Elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver survived a plunge of 75 stories inside an elevator, which still stands as the Guinness World Record for the longest survived elevator fall recorded.[14] Despite the damage and loss of life, the building was open for business on many floors the following Monday.

 

A B-25 weighs 9.58T empty and it’s slowest safe speed would be 230kph. According to GAC it has a SPD4. In Hero terms this would be a move through with base 9d6(mass) + 32d6 velocity (96”/phase) = 41d6. However according to GAC, a B-25 has a 3Def and 19Bod so only 22d6 damage could be done before the plane is destroyed.

 

So now that we know how big it is and what kind of damage it can take, how would the ESB be written up?

 

Size: 63,400 hexes -17DCV (39pts)

Defense/Body: 9/8 (steel girder in FRed) The B25 was able to break through, so add another 3Body for a total 9Def and 11Body (30pts)

Location: City (0 pts)

Life Support: Heat & Cold (4pts)

Radio Transmit: OAF Radio Tower (6pts)

Disadvantage: Public ID (-10pts)

Total Cost: 69/14

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: Empire State Building

 

Recall reading someplace that the ESB's upper tower was originally designed as a passenger terminal for airships. However, they only ever tried to dock an airship there once - the air currents around the building were so bad that the idea was given up for good as just too dangerous.

 

Also recall hearing once that there was a strong rivalry between the owner/builders of the ESB and the Chrysler building. Each wanted their building to be taller, and kept revising / extending the original designs. In the end, the ESB's people pulled a fast one, tricked the Chrysler people into thinking the ESB had topped out. Then, when the Chrysler building started being completed, the ESB was extended yet again. Don't know how accurate / true this one is. Could be a basis for a card game or RPG scenario, anyhow.

[RJB]

Re: Empire State Building

 

Recall reading someplace that the ESB's upper tower was originally designed as a passenger terminal for airships. However, they only ever tried to dock an airship there once - the air currents around the building were so bad that the idea was given up for good as just too dangerous.

 

Also recall hearing once that there was a strong rivalry between the owner/builders of the ESB and the Chrysler building. Each wanted their building to be taller, and kept revising / extending the original designs. In the end, the ESB's people pulled a fast one, tricked the Chrysler people into thinking the ESB had topped out. Then, when the Chrysler building started being completed, the ESB was extended yet again. Don't know how accurate / true this one is. Could be a basis for a card game or RPG scenario, anyhow.

 

Both are absolutely correct. Check Wikipedia.

[clsage]

Re: Empire State Building

 

Recall reading someplace that the ESB's upper tower was originally designed as a passenger terminal for airships. However' date=' they only ever tried to dock an airship there once - the air currents around the building were so bad that the idea was given up for good as just too dangerous..[/quote']

 

I believe that it was in "Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life" by Philip Jose

Farmer that the 'secret architect' of the ESB was Clark Savage Jr (AKA Doc

Savage) and that he knew about the strong updraft issues that would prevent

normal airships from docking at the 86th floor (well, just above that level) and

that he kept it secret so that, when discovered, the fact would allow him to

keep sole access to that part of the building to use as his base of operations.

 

BTW, that book ("Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life") has at least one chapter

on just the ESB and affiliated NYC bases of Doc. Definately worth a look for

Pulp Hero reference.

 

Also recall hearing once that there was a strong rivalry between the owner/builders of the ESB and the Chrysler building. Each wanted their building to be taller, and kept revising / extending the original designs. In the end, the ESB's people pulled a fast one, tricked the Chrysler people into thinking the ESB had topped out. Then, when the Chrysler building started being completed, the ESB was extended yet again. Don't know how accurate / true this one is. Could be a basis for a card game or RPG scenario, anyhow.

 

A story that I have heard in various sources (documentaries, books, etc)

is that the spire on top of the Chrysler Building was hidden inside the main

elevator shaft to mask the buildings ultimate true height. As it reached

compleation it was winched up and out, according to some sources during

the night, allowing the building to reach its final height.

 

Speaking to a Doc Savage connection, some have suggested that the

building that the sniper used in the first chapters of the book 'The Man Of

Bronze' was the ESB. Given it's height and that (as I recall..it's

been some years since my last reading of the text) it was refered to as a

'nearly compleated skyscraper' where the building Docs' lab was in is 'just

compleated' not an entirely unfeisable concept....Since the Chrysler Building

opened prior to the ESB. And the Chrysler Buildings upper floors were a

private apartment and private dining room (again, as I recall from various

sources) so that could well serve as 'The Airie' (AKA Docs' HQ). From a

personal point of view, I like this concept better than using the ESB as

Docs' base. Even tho' the novels often refer to the building Doc uses as

"the highest in the city..." and such. YMMV.

 

-Carl-