How can you leave Webster in the evening and not raise your eyes toward the colors lighting the top of The Empire State Building?
Although it opened in 1931, floodlights were only added in 1964, allowing the tower to be lit in nine different colors chosen to match seasonal events, such as St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas. In 2012, the floodlights were replaced with LED fixtures, increasing the available colors to over 16 million. Yes, that’s 16 million.
The colors commemorate anniversaries and celebrate events. Some are quite obvious: Red-White-Blue for US National Holidays, Orange-Blue-Orange for the NYC Marathon, Blue-Blue-White for United Nations Day, Red and Pink Sparkle for Valentine’s Day. Some are more of a challenge: Red-Gold-Gold for the Lunar New Year, Green-Blue-Blue for Earth Day, Purple-Purple-Yellow for the Westminster Dog Show. In recent years, the building was specially lit for two 75th Anniversaries: Red-Gold-Gold for Betty Boop and, my favorite, All Green for Popeye.
After the death of actress Fay Wray in 2004, famous for her part in the film King Kong, the building stood in complete darkness for 15 minutes.
Of course, we have that spectacular view of The Empire State Building from our own spacious roof terrace. What a photo op! Takes my breath away!
