Empire State Building Secret: Zeppelin parking station
Today the 102nd floor is a spectacular, although small, circular observation deck. It did not start this way. The original design used the space as a lobby and dock for the new airships gaining popularity. New York officials were so hopeful this could happen they distributed renderings of an airship docked that the Empire State Building’s tower. Airships would dock at the 102nd floor tower, passengers exit via gangplank, and enter the lobby.
Zeppelin commander Hugo Eckener dismissed the idea, noting zeppelins took a large grounds crew with lots of tether rope, not just a small connection to the tip of a building. Additionally, moving passengers on a ramp between an airship and port at that height is extremely dangerous. In 1931, a private airship owner tried to dock at the port. The connection lasted three minutes. 40-mile-per-hour winds made it impossible to stay. Officials scrapped the airship idea.
