It is the world's most famous skyscraper, a gleaming Art Deco tower of steel, concrete and marble that is the enduring symbol of New York. Conceived by Governor Alfred E. Smith, the project commenced on January 22, 1930, less than two months after the Black Tuesday stock market crash, as America entered the beginnings of the Great Depression. Along with the revealing text, a wealth of archival photographs taken before, during and after construction illustrate the mammoth undertaking. Every image pays tribute to the steelworkers, riveters, stone masons and the thousands of other unsung heroes whose fearlessness and skill enabled the tower to rise in little more than a year's time, and gave birth to a legendary icon of American vision and ingenuity.

It is the world's most famous skyscraper, a gleaming Art Deco tower of steel, concrete and marble that is the enduring symbol of New York. Conceived by Governor Alfred E. Smith, the project commenced on January 22, 1930, less than two months after the Black Tuesday stock market crash, as America entered the beginnings of the Great Depression. Along with the revealing text, a wealth of archival photographs taken before, during and after construction illustrate the mammoth undertaking. Every image pays tribute to the steelworkers, riveters, stone masons and the thousands of other unsung heroes whose fearlessness and skill enabled the tower to rise in little more than a year's time, and gave birth to a legendary icon of American vision and ingenuity.