The Erastus Corning Tower, also known as the Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd Tower or simply the Corning Tower, is a skyscraper located in downtown Albany,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Completed in 1973 and sided with Vermont Pearl marble and glass, the state office building is part of the

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. The complex was built between 1965 a ...

. At 589 feet (180 m) and 44 stories in height, it is the tallest skyscraper in the state of New York outside of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Erastus Corning 2nd Erastus Corning 2nd (October 7, 1909 – May 28, 1983) was an American politician. A Democrat, Corning served as the 72nd mayor of Albany, New York from 1942 to 1983, when Albany County was controlled by one of the last classic urban political ...

, the building's namesake, was the

mayor of Albany From its formal chartering on 22 July 1686 until 1779, the mayors of Albany, New York, were appointed by the royal governor of New York, per the provisions of the original city charter, issued by Governor Thomas Dongan. From 1779 until 1839, may ...

for over 40 years from 1941 to 1983. The tower was dedicated to him in March 1983 during his hospitalization. Before that dedication, it was known as the "Tower Building". The Corning Tower houses the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Office of General Services. Two

New York State Department of Transportation The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is the department of the Government of New York (state), New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, Rail transport, railroads, mass transit systems ...

traffic camera A traffic camera is a video camera which observes vehicular traffic on a road. Typically, traffic cameras are put along major roads such as highways, freeways, expressways and arterial roads, and are connected by optical fibers buried alongside or ...

s are located on the building to monitor nearby traffic conditions. From 2000 to 2004, it was the tallest structure in the '' World Almanac's'' list of "Other Tall Buildings in North American Cities".

Observation deck

observation deck An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a skyscraper or observation tower. Observation decks are sometimes enclo ...

is located on the Corning Tower's 42nd floor. It offers expansive views of Albany, the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...

, and the surrounding area. Panels below the windows give information about the visible landmarks. The observation deck, however, does not feature a 360-degree view because it has no windows on the west side. A nonstop elevator to the 42nd floor reaches a speed of 26 km/h (16 MPH). The deck is open to the public for free Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Visitors can access the observation deck via the plaza or concourse levels. Upon taking office in 2010, Governor

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cuo ...

eliminated a photo ID requirement.

Gallery

File:EmpirePlaza18.jpg, The Corning Tower viewed from Eagle Street. Image:Reich-zustand-piazza-01.jpg, The

, with the Corning Tower on the left. Image:Albany8.jpg, The Albany

skyline A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skylin ...

. The Corning Tower is on the far left. Image:EmpirePlaza16.jpg File:Corning tower - Observation deck view.JPG, A view from the 42nd floor observation deck. File:Corning Tower From Empire State Plaza.jpg, Erastus Corning Tower as seen from

Nearby attractions

* New York State Capitol Building *

New York State Museum The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol ...

* The Egg * Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

References

Notes Sources
Erastus Corning Tower
at

Emporis Buildings Emporis GmbH was a real estate data mining company that was headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. The company collected data and photographs of buildings worldwide, which were published in an online database from 2000 to September 2022. On 12 Sep ...

Erastus Corning 2nd Biography at AlbanyCounty.com

External links

{{Commons category, Erastus Corning Tower
Corning Tower Observation DeckNYS DOT Corning Tower East Traffic CameraNYS DOT Corning Tower North Traffic Camera3d model
Empire State Plaza Skyscrapers in Albany, New York Tourist attractions in Albany, New York Skyscraper office buildings in New York (state) Office buildings completed in 1966 Harrison & Abramovitz buildings

Observation deck

Gallery

Nearby attractions

See also

References

External links