Architecture

Empire State Building Gets New Neighbor

Skyscraper will be just 34-feet shorter than iconic tower.

King Kong will soon have a new tower to climb: The New York City Council has approved plans to build a new skyscraper near the Empire State Building that will be almost as tall. The tower, known as 15 Penn Plaza, will climb within 34 feet of the Empire State Building’s top. The plan isn’t sitting well with the owners of the Empire State Building, who worry the new tower will diminish their building’s iconic role in the New York City skyline—they went so far as to try to establish a one-third-mile around the Empire State Building that would not allow any comparably tall towers to be built. Part of the reason the city so overwhelmingly voted to approve the new building is because its developers agreed to spend $100 million on subway entrances and tunnels at Penn station.