The Empire State Building was constructed between March 17, 1930, and May 1, 1931, and it officially opened on May 1, 1931.

When Was the Empire State Building Built?

The Empire State Building is a classic example of early 20th-century skyscraper ambition, going from an empty site to a completed icon in just over a year.

Key Dates at a Glance

  • Construction started: March 17, 1930.
  • Structural completion: April 11, 1931 (steel frame finished).
  • Official opening: May 1, 1931.
  • Construction duration: About 410 days, roughly 13 months.

Think of it this way: in less time than many big infrastructure projects today spend in planning, New York City got a 102‑story skyscraper built and open for business.

How Fast Was It Built?

The speed of construction is one of the building’s most famous facts.

  • Over 3,000 workers were employed at the peak.
  • The team managed several floors per week by tightly coordinating excavation, foundations, and steelwork at the same time.
  • The entire building was completed about a month ahead of schedule.

Imagine walking past the site in spring 1930, seeing just a busy construction pit, and then returning in spring 1931 to find a finished, record‑breaking tower dominating the skyline.

Why That Period Matters

The Empire State Building was built right as the Great Depression hit, which shaped its early years.

  • The project was announced just before the 1929 stock market crash.
  • Construction still went ahead, providing much‑needed jobs in New York.
  • When it opened in 1931, many offices stayed empty for years, and people jokingly called it “The Empty State Building.”

So when you ask “when was the Empire State Building built,” the full picture is: it rose at incredible speed from March 1930 to its opening in May 1931, right in the early, uncertain years of the Great Depression.

TL;DR: It was built from March 17, 1930, to May 1, 1931, taking about 13 months from the start of construction to opening day.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.