Empire State Building Celebrates Completion of Landmark Lobby Renovations With Specially Commissioned Work of Art

NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Empire State Building (ESB) today unveiled the final feature of its multi-year historic lobby restoration project: the illuminated etched-glass installation by artist Denise Amses entitled "Circle In." The lobby is part of the Empire State Rebuilding program, a more than $550 million renovation and modernization project which was led by a best-in-class team of architects, historians, restorers, and craftspeople.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110217/NY40516 )

Inspired by the lobby's recreated 23-karat gold and aluminum leaf celestial ceiling mural, "Circle In" is a six-layer site-specific art installation and is prominently featured at eye level behind the lobby Visitor Reception Desk. The design draws inspiration from the historic lobby, transforming celestial imagery into an exploration of space. The work includes 12 levels of motifs, which highlight many contextual references from the world's most famous office building and was developed over 12 months at the Amses Cosma Studio in Brooklyn, New York. Features include over 15,000 stars and 5,000 circles translated through 16 panels of transparent glass. The installation is additionally lit from within using cold cathode tubes which illuminate the celestial design.

Anthony E. Malkin of Empire State Building Company stated, "It was always part of our conception of the lobby to place this specially commissioned art installation at the focal point of tenant reception of the recreated lobby.  Now, it is finally in place as the final touch of the Empire State Building's historic lobby restoration project.  The three-dimensional work of art compliments and enhances the world's most famous office building and will be seen by every one of our visitors to our tenants-only lobby at the concierge/visitor welcome desk. While it has taken a good deal longer to finish the restoration, recreation, and modernization of our lobby than it took the build the entire building, it has been well worth the effort and wait."

The Landmarks Preservation Commission has recognized the Empire State Building as a historic landmark and the lobby is one of the few interiors in New York City to be part of this distinction. The Municipal Art Society of New York also honored the Empire State Building's lobby with the 2010 Best Historical Restoration Award.

About the Empire State Building

Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan, the Empire State Building is the "World's Most Famous Office Building." With new investments in infrastructure, public areas and amenities, the Empire State Building has attracted first-rate tenants in a diverse array of industries from around the world. The skyscraper's robust broadcasting technology supports all major television and FM radio stations in the New York metropolitan market. The Empire State Building was named America's favorite building in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects. The Empire State Building Observatory is one of the world's most beloved attractions and is the region's #1 tourist destination. For more information on the Empire State Building, please visit www.esbnyc.com, www.facebook.com/EmpireStateBuilding, or @ESBObservatory.

About Amses Cosma Inc.

Amses Cosma Inc. is a Brooklyn, New York-based art studio specializing in site-specific, architectural-scale works in light, glass, steel and stone. The studio represents three decades of involvement in all phases of public art from design to fabrication and installation, creating bodies of work that include large installations commissioned for both public and private buildings. The artists at Amses Cosma, Inc. have a compelling interest in the creation of public works of art that link the traditional with the contemporary, the historical with the scientific, and the site with the community. For more information, please visit www.AmsesCosma.com.

Media Contact: Edelman Public Relations

Jessica Redling, 212.277.3773, [email protected]

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SOURCE Empire State Building