The daredevil “Sky Workers” who built the Empire State building at as fast as four stories per week

Racing Death: The Empire State Building’s Sky Workers

The Empire State Building stands as a monument to the 3,400 daredevils who raced against time during America’s darkest economic hour.

Between March 1930 and May 1931, these men built the world’s tallest skyscraper in just 410 days, working without safety equipment a thousand feet above Manhattan.

European immigrants worked alongside fearless Mohawk ironworkers who had been walking steel beams since 1886.

Welders suffered eye damage and skin burns while riveters endured bone-jarring hammers securing thousands of rivets to the 102nd floor. At least five workers died, but they finished twelve days ahead of schedule.

Here’s the full story of these sky boys and what you’ll discover in the building’s construction gallery today.

Wall Street Crash Started a Race to the Sky

Workers broke ground on the Empire State Building on March 17, 1930, just months after the stock market crash. They tore down the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to make way for this new landmark.

Former New York Governor Alfred E. Smith teamed up with businessman John J. Raskob to beat the Chrysler Building for the title of world’s tallest building. They set a tight deadline of 21 months from first drawings to opening day, aiming to finish by May 1, 1931.

Thousands Got Jobs When Work Was Hard to Find

At the peak of building in August 1930, the project gave jobs to over 3,500 workers, with 3,439 men on site in one day.

Irish and Italian immigrants worked alongside Mohawk ironworkers from the Kahnawake reserve near Montreal.

These Mohawk “Skywalkers” helped build New York’s skyline since 1886, working on almost every major skyscraper including the Chrysler Building.

This big project created badly needed jobs as unemployment shot up during America’s worst money crisis.

Mohawk Workers Built Their Own Community in Brooklyn

A close Mohawk community grew in Brooklyn’s “Little Caughnawaga” neighborhood near the ironworkers’ union hall. About 800 people lived there by the 1930s. Riveting crews often spoke their native languages while working hundreds of feet above Manhattan streets.

The Wigwam Bar on Nevis Street became their hangout spot, with a sign that read “The Greatest Ironworkers in the World Pass Through These Doors.” Kyle Karonhiaktatie Beauvais, a sixth-generation Mohawk ironworker, said Mohawks weren’t born without fear of heights but learned to master it.

Steel Frame Went Up at Amazing Speed

Workers started putting up the steel skeleton on April 7, 1930, and it grew upward at a rate of 4½ stories each week. By June 20, steel reached the 26th floor.

The structure topped out at 1,048 feet on September 19, just 23 weeks after steel work began. The team finished 14 floors during a 10-day stretch in September 1930.

The huge project needed 57,000 tons of steel, almost three times more than the Chrysler Building.

Workers Walked on Narrow Beams Without Safety Gear

The ironworkers, called “sky boys” or “air-treaders,” walked on narrow beams with nothing between them and the streets far below.

The New York Times called their work “the best open-air show in town” as they rode steel beams through the air, steering them into place with their feet.

Riveting teams drove hot rivets into steel beams to make the building’s frame.

Workers got clever with lunch breaks, warming their food by putting tin boxes on freshly riveted steel beams, creating what they called the world’s highest lunch counter.

A Photographer Hung Above Fifth Avenue for the Best Shot

Lewis Wickes Hine, already 56 years old, got the job to take photos of the construction. He took pictures of workers in risky spots while taking the same risks himself.

Hine often swung out in a special basket 1,000 feet above Fifth Avenue to get the right angle. He sometimes hung above the city with nothing below but “a sheer drop of nearly a quarter-mile.”

Hine praised the workers as “men of courage, skill, daring, and imagination” and took famous photos including “Icarus” (also known as “The Sky Boy”).

The Human Cost of Building a Skyscraper

Official records show five workers died during construction from accidents like truck crashes, falls down elevator shafts, hoist hits, and scaffold failures.

The New York Daily News reported a higher count of 14 deaths, while The New Masses magazine spread unproven rumors of up to 42 worker deaths. Workers feared bad weather most of all.

Rain made surfaces slick, and cold numbed their hands, making it hard to hold beams and tools. Despite few safety measures, many workers stayed calm, with one saying “It’s safer up here than it is down below.

Assembly Line Methods Kept Materials Moving Upward

A smart system kept limestone, wood, marble, brick, cement and mortar coming to the site on more than 200 trucks each day. Workers laid small railroad tracks throughout the building to move materials across floors.

Restaurants ran on multiple floors so workers could eat without going all the way to street level. Each piece of steel had special marks showing which crane would lift it, letting columns stack at record speed.

The Building Reached Its Full Height Before Winter

The special airship mooring mast topped out on November 21, 1930, bringing the Empire State Building to its full height of 1,250 feet.

This made it 204 feet taller than the Chrysler Building, winning the title of world’s tallest structure.

During July 1930, crews put up steel for 22 stories in just 22 working days, using only regular hours with no night shifts. The new curtain wall design let workers set walls at a rate of one full story per day.

A Golden Rivet Marked the End of Construction

Workers finished the Empire State Building on April 11, 1931, ending twelve days ahead of schedule after 410 days of construction.

Former Governor Al Smith drove in the final rivet, made of solid gold, to mark the occasion.

Contractor William Starrett created a strict monitoring system with inspectors tracking daily progress throughout the project.

The human cost was serious, with five confirmed deaths among the 3,400 workers who risked their lives to build this architectural wonder.

The Lights Came On During the Darkest Days of the Depression

President Herbert Hoover pressed a button in Washington, D. C. on May 1, 1931, turning on the Empire State Building’s lights for the first time. Governor Franklin D.

Roosevelt spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, calling the skyscraper a symbol of “vision and faith.” The 86th floor observation deck quickly became popular, drawing 17,000 visitors in just four days.

Despite its architectural success, the building struggled financially during the Great Depression. It remained 75% empty for years, earning the unfortunate nickname “The Empty State Building.

Visiting The Empire State Building

You can learn about the 3,400 daredevil workers who built the Empire State Building during the Great Depression by visiting the observatory. Enter at 20 West 34th Street for tickets starting at $44 plus $5 booking fee.

Book your time slot ahead of time. Your ticket includes exhibits on the 2nd and 80th floors with 10,000 square feet of displays about the construction.

Express passes cost $120 to skip lines, or take 90-minute guided tours.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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