Empire State Plaza
The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza (known commonly as the Empire State Plaza, and also as the South Mall) is a complex of several state government buildings in downtown Albany, New York.
| Empire State Plaza | |
|---|---|
Aerial view, looking eastward to the Hudson River | |
Interactive map highlighting the Empire State Plaza | |
| Alternative names | Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Modernist, Brutalist, International |
| Location | Albany, New York |
| Address | Between Madison Avenue and State Street, and Swan Street and Eagle Street |
| Coordinates | 42.650347°N 73.759688°W |
| Current tenants | Various government agencies of the State of New York, New York State Museum |
| Construction started | 1965 |
| Completed | 1976 |
| Renovated | 2001 |
| Cost | $2 billion |
| Owner | State of New York |
| Height | 44 stories, 589 feet (180 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Reinforced concrete |
| Floor count | 6-story platform; 44-story tower |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Wallace Harrison |
| Architecture firm | Harrison & Abramovitz |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect(s) | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates |
The complex was built between 1965 and 1976 at an estimated total cost of $2 billion. It houses several departments of the New York State administration and is integrated with the New York State Capitol, completed in 1899, which houses the state legislature. Among the offices at the plaza are the Department of Health and the Biggs Laboratory of the Wadsworth Center. The Empire State Art Collection, a major public collection of 1960s and 1970s monumental abstract artworks, is on permanent display throughout the site. The New York State Office of General Services maintains the plaza. The Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center Corporation is a New York state public-benefit corporation that was created in 1979 to manage the performing arts facility in the plaza.