keywords: new york city, empire state building construction, former astoria hotel, american bridge company
Synopsis: Documenting the construction of the Empire State Building from concrete foundation to beacon tower installation. Shows demolition of the former Astoria Hotel. Shows the rolling of the structural steel at Carnegie Steel Company. From the steel mill the plates and sections shipped to American Bridge Company fabricating shop where rivet holes are punched and column assemblies are completed. Steel erection using nine derricks starts on March 17, 1930. Shows steel workers hoisting and erecting steel beams. Steel workers fly American flag after the main building, 85 stories, is topped out. 200 foot observation tower tops main structure.
