New York (AFP)
The Empire State Building reopens on Saturday in New York its 102nd floor observatory after nearly 10 months of work, which now offers a 360 ° view from the spire of the world's most famous skyscraper.
The renovation of this platform is the third step of a project that has four, started 4 and a half years ago, and whose total cost reached $ 165 million.
The first two phases were to improve the quality of the visit and to reduce as much as possible the queues that sometimes stretched outside the building.
Empire State Realty Trust, the company owning the building, first created a dedicated entrance for visitors to the observatory, which until now entered by the same as office workers.
Second phase, a small museum opened on the first floor, on the way between the entrance and the elevators, which allows to disperse the visitors and to reduce even more the files.
The third stage began in January with the closure of the 102nd floor observatory, 351 m high, for several months of renovation, before reopening on Saturday.
"The strategy," says Jean-Yves Ghazi, president of the Empire State Realty Trust Observatory, "was to remove as many obstructions as possible."
Walls over 1.10 m high that blocked part of the view around the observatory have, for example, been replaced by large windows.
Also new, the elevator shaft is now also made of glass walls, which allow the visitor to enjoy the view before even opening the doors.
Once out, the transparency of this elevator also offers the ability to sweep the 360 ° panorama, regardless of where you are.
It will cost 58 dollars for the 102nd floor, against 38 for the observatory on the 86th floor, which allows him to go outside the building.
The fourth and final stage will see the opening, on the 80th floor and by the end of the year, of an additional observatory, which will allow tourists to build the route of their visit to New York with the city at their feet .
© 2019 AFP