# 3185b - 1998 32c Celebrate the Century - 1930s: Empire State Building

US #3185b
1998 Empire State Building – Celebrate the Century (1930s)

• Part of the fourth sheet in the Celebrate the Century stamp series issued from 1998-2000
• Honors the completion of the Empire State Building
• Includes text on the back with historical details

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Celebrate the Century
Value: 32¢ First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: September 10, 1998
First Day City: Cleveland, Ohio
Quantity Issued: 188,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Panes of 15
Perforations: 11.6
Tagging: Block Tagging

Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the completion of New York City’s Empire State Building, making it the tallest building in the world at the time.

About the stamp design: Pictures a pencil sketch of the Empire State Building by Paul Calle. Includes the following text on the back “Completed in 1931, New York City’s Empire State Building has 102 stories and rises 1,250 feet above the ground. For more than 40 years it was the tallest building in the world.”

First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the foot of Cleveland, Ohio’s Terminal Tower Building at Tower City Center. When it first opened in June 1930, the 52-story building was among the tallest buildings in the world and was the tallest west of New York City for 40 years.

About the Celebrate the Century series: The USPS launched the Celebrate the Century series in 1998 to mark the end of the 20th century and herald the arrival of the 21st. The series includes 10 sheets of 15 stamps (150 in total), with each honoring important moments from a different decade (1900s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s). At the time of completion, it was the longest and most ambitious commemorative stamp series in US history.

History the stamp represents: In 1799, New York City sold a tract of farmland to John Thompson for $2,600. Over the next 132 years, the property would pass through many famous hands. That is, until 1931, when President Herbert Hoover turned on the Empire State Building’s lights from Washington, DC, officially announcing its opening.

Preliminary plans for construction of the Empire State Building began during the 1920s, when the site was home to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Excavation began in January of 1930, and construction began in March. Workers were building the structure’s frame at the rate of 4 ½ stories each week. It took one year and 45 days – including Sundays and holidays – to complete the building, which then was the world’s tallest. During the peak construction period, 3,400 men were on the job. During this time, Lewis Hine was commissioned to take photographs of the men at work. To capture shots of workers in precarious positions, he was swung out in a specially designed basket 1,000 feet above Fifth Avenue.

The Empire State Building has 102 floors, 73 elevators, and 6,500 windows. At 1,472 feet, it was the world’s tallest building until 1972, when the first tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan was built.