(Photography of Empire State Building comes from Harry Orr.)
From WNYC in New York, this piece by Richard Hake “marks the 75th Birthday of a New York icon. The Empire State Building took only a year and 45 days to build and opened in 1931. As a tribute, WNYC’s Richard Hake profiles the man who has one of the building’s most fascinating and visual jobs. He changes the lights on the building’s illuminated tower.”
Click here to read the full interview.
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And for anyone curious about the color lights on the Empire State Building, here’s the breakdown of what each color combination represents:
Black/Yellow/Red German Reunification Day
Black/Green/Gold Jamaica Independence
Black/Red/Yellow German Reunification Day
Blue “Keeper of NY Harbor”, USCG Cutter Katherine Walker
Boys & Girls Clubs
Child Abuse Prevention
Colon Cancer Awareness
Jazz at Lincoln Center
March of Dimes “Prematurity Awareness Day”
March of Dimes Prematurity Day
Muscular Dystrophy Awareness
National Kids’ Day
Police Memorial Day
Police Memorial Week
U.S. Coast Guard / “Keeper of NY Harbor”
UNICEF Snowflake / Brighten the World for Children
UNICEF Snowflake Benefit Event
Blue/Blue/Green Anniversary of National Council of Jewish Women
Blue/Blue/Red Equal Parents Day
Blue/Blue/White 100th Anniversary, College of New Rochelle
Academy of American Poets
Anniversary of Academy of American Poets
Anniversary of Children’s Aid Society
Colon Cancer Awareness
Greek Independence
HIP / Economic Resurgence of Lower Manhattan
Jackie Robinson Day
Muscular Dystrophy Awareness
National Diabetes Awareness
UN Day
UN World Summit
United Nations Day
Blue/Gold/Blue 100th Anniversary of Rotary International
Blue/Green/Black Bahamas Independence
Blue/Green/Blue Corporate Philanthropy Day
Blue/Orange/Blue CUNY Honors College, Graduation
National EMS Week
Blue/Red/Red Equal Parents Day
Blue/Red/Yellow World Cup Archery Championship
Blue/White/Blue Americans with Disabilities
Argentina Independence
First Night of Hanukkah
Hanukkah
Israel Independence Day
Juvenile Diabetes Awareness
Last Night of Hanukkah
Salute to 2004 Summer Olympics
Scotland’s Tartan Day
Tartan Day/Scotland
Blue/White/Red Bastille Day
Blue/White/White United Nations Day
Blue/Yellow/Black Bahamas Independence
ESB Lighting ESB Lighting
Gold Oscar Week in NYC
Gold/Black/Gold NYC Triathlon/NYC2012
Green 75th Anniversary Popeye
March of Dimes
National Childhood Cancer Awareness / CureSearch
Organ Donor Awareness
Rain Forest Awareness Event
Rainforest Awareness
St. Patrick’s Day
Green/Blue/Blue Earth Day
Green/Green/White “Donate Life Month”
Anniversary of Pakistan Independence
Pakistan Independence
Green/Red/White Wales/St. David’s Day
Green/White/Green Pakistan Independence
Green/White/Orange India Independence
Green/White/Red Anniversary of Mexico’s Independence
Mexico Independence
Green/Yellow/Blue Brazil Independence
Lavender/Lavender/White Stonewall Anniversary
No Lights “Day without Art/Night without Lights” AIDS Awareness
National Day of Mourning / Death of President Reagan
NYC skyline before the ESB opened on May 1, 1931
Orange/Blue/Blue NY Knicks Opening Day
Orange/Orange/Blue Celebrate NYC
NYC 2012
NYC Marathon
NYC2012
Safe Horizon/Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Orange/Orange/White “NYC Goes Orange”/Food Bank for NYC
22nd Anniversary/Food Bank of NYC
Anniversary of Food Bank for NYC
ASPCA’s 140th Anniversary
Netherlands’ Queens Day
Queens Day/Netherlands
Walk to End Domestic Violence
Orange/White/Blue Official NYC colors for NYC Marathon
Orange/White/Green India Independence
Pink/Pink/White “City in Pink”/Breast Cancer Awareness
Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Oct./Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Race for the Cure
Pink/Pink/Yellow Tribeca Film Festival
Purple/Green/Gold Mardi Gras
Purple/Purple/Gold Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Day
Westminster Dog Show
Westminster Kennel Club
Purple/Purple/White Alzheimer’s Awareness
Alzheimers’ “Walk to Remember”
NYU Graduation
Walk to Remember – Alzheimer’s Assoc.
Purple/Teal/White National Osteoporosis Society
Red “Go Red for Women”
Am Heart Assoc “Go Red for Women”
Big Apple Circus
Big Apple Circus / Clown Care Unit Charitable Event
Big Apple Circus/Clown Care Unit
Big Apple Fest / NYC&Co.
Diabetes Alert
Diabetes Awareness
East Side House Settlement Benefit Gala
Fire Department Memorial Day
Multiple Sclerosis Awareness
Multiple Sclerosis Society
Red Hot Summer Charity Event
Multiple Sclerosis, National Day of Hope
Red Cross
Red Ribbon Day, DEA
St. Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day
Red/Black/Green Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
Harlem Week
Red/Blue/Blue Haiti Cultural Awareness
Haitian Culture Awareness
Red/Blue/Red Julliard School of Music, 100th Anniversary
Kids Health Challenge/Family Day
Red/Blue/White Dominican Week
New York Rangers
Philippine Independence
Red/Blue/Yellow Colombia Independence
Philippines / Manila Day
Red/Gold/Gold Lunar New Year
Red/Gold/Green Grenada Independence
Red/Gold/Red 100th Anniversary NYC Subway
Lunar New Year
Red/Red/Blue Bank of America/ESB Annual Run Up
BofA/Run-Up
Equal Parents Day
Red/Red/Gold Betty Boop’s 75th Anniversary
NYC Celebrates Fortune 500
Red/Red/Green Christmas Season
Holiday Colors
Holiday Season
Red/Red/White National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Pulaski Day
Red Cross Month
Swiss Day
Swiss National Day
Swisspeaks Festival for Switzerland
Red/Red/Yellow Anniversary of US Marines
Autumn
Autumn Colors
Ringling Bros./Barnum & Bailey Circus
Red/White/Blue 65th Anniversary U.S.O.
9/11/01 Memorial
Armed Forces Day
Armed Forces Day / Fleet Week / Memorial Day
Election Day
Flag Day
Fleet Week / Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Lincoln’s Birthday
Patriotic Support/United We Stand
Pow Wow, USA’s Largest Travel Trade Show
Presidents Day/Weekend
Presidents’ Day & Washington’s Birthday
Republican National Convention
Soldiers’ Sailors’ Mariners’ & Airmen’s Club 85th Anniversary
Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’ and Airmen’s Club 86th Anniversary
Support Our Servicemen and Servicewomen
United We Stand/Celebrate America
Veterans’ Day
Red/White/Green Annual Feast of San Gennaro
Celebrate Italy and Alitalia
Columbus Day
In Memory of Remember Chico Scimone
Red/White/Red Leukemia/Lymphoma “Light the Night”
NYS Poison Prevention Week
Peru Independence
Poison Prevention Month
Qatar
Switzerland admitted to the
UN
Red/White/White Leukemia & Lymphoma “Light the Night”
Red/White/Yellow Ronald McDonald House 30th Anniversary
Red/Yellow/Blue Salvation Army’s 125th Anniversary
Red/Yellow/Green Portuguese Independence
Stop Red Light Running
White 75th Anniversary Lighting – All white as were the first lights to shine atop the building.
ESB Lighting
Hopes and prayers for the survivors of the tsunami.
Lights turned off in Remembrance of Pope John Paul II
UNESCO Event with Creed perfumes
World Movie Premiere
White/Red/Blue NY Rangers Event
White/Red/Red Qatar Independence
Yellow 100th Anniversary of the American Musical / 13th Broadway on Broadway
March of Dimes
NYC & Co/Snapple Promotion
Project Sunshine Week
U.S. Open
US Open
Yellow/Blue/Blue Children’s Health Fund / Starting Right
Ukraine Independence
Ukrainian Independence
Yellow/Orange/Yellow Corporate Philanthropy Day
Yellow/White/Yellow NYC Honors County Music Awards
Spring/Easter
Yellow/Yellow/White Easter/Spring
