Empire State Plaza

Identification

Plan

Faits

• Total cost was about $1.7 billion.
• The Plaza has been sharply criticized over the years for its immense size, cost, quality of design, and disruption to the traditional city fabric.
• The Empire State Plaza is the largest state capital complex of unified architectural conception in the United States.
• It covers 98 acres and houses some 11,000 state employees in ten buildings.
• The project was conceived by former Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1959 during a visit from Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands, when he felt embarrassed by the dilapidated condition of the city.
• Construction began in 1965 and was completed in 1978.