Questions I still can't answer......

[poltr1]

I asked this question before, and didn't get any answers.

In the Empire State Building in New York City, there are observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors. (Thanks to 9/11, the 102nd floor observation deck is now closed to the general public.) My question is: what is on floors 87 thru 101? Anything (besides FM and TV antennae)? Are these real floors or just stairway landings?





(Yes, I know that at one point in history, the building was to be used as a landing point for dirigibles. But high winds prevented that idea from becoming a reality, well before the Hindenburg disaster ended passenger travel by airship.)

Any ideas? filkerdave? redaxe?

And here's one I could find the answer to. For some time, I've been wondering what a "Pierson's Puppeteer" was. tarkrai sang about them in one of his songs. Once I found the lyrics, and the correct spelling, I sent Googling. I found a definition based on a Wikipedia entry. It's a two-headed creature from Larry Niven's "Known Space" story/novel series. (Yes, I'm behind on my SF reading.)

Comments

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

I don't know offhand what if anything (other than the TV and radio facilities) is operating above the observation platform. The Official ESB site isn't helpful either. If I have time in the near future I will try to drop over to the building and research it, but time is something I am chronically short of, along with money and brains :-}

I do, however, know what a Pierson's Puppeteer is. When I was in college, one of my favorite slightly off-color jokes was to note that they and I had much in common, each possessing two heads and three legs. But they sing much better than I ever have or shall :-)

[poltr1]

Before last night, I was stumped. I thought there was a Pearson's department store in Steve's home town, and there was a pupppet theatre in the window or elsewhere in the store. Hence...."Pearson's puppetters".

And I'm sure someone else has already parodied "Barrett's Privateers" by now.

[phillip2637.livejournal.com]

"...I've been wondering what a "Pierson's Puppeteer" was. tarkrai sang about them in one of his songs. Once I found the lyrics..."

Do you have a handy link to the lyrics? I would love to see them, having been a big fan of those stories a few decades ago. (I think I identified with a species for which 'bravery' was a mental defect.)

[poltr1]

Sure thing, Philip. They're on the Lyrics page on Steve Macdonald's web site. Look for the "Dreamer's Song".

[gorgeousgary]

Heh...you've even managed to stump filkdom's resident expert on buildings with that question! 8-)

But I recently bought Neil Bascomb's Higher on the construction race between the ESB and the Chrysler Building. Perhaps I should promote that to the top of the reading list in case there's a clue in there...

[poltr1]

I think the only people who would know are the ones that have actually been up there. That excludes me, due to my acrophobia. I also suspect the stairway is probably now closed to the general public by now.

You may be right about the tallest building in NYC competition. The mooring mast may have been installed for that reason, along with the dirigible terminal. From my research, I gleaned there was a dry run done with a dirigible staff, and as trained as they were, they had problems disembarking due to the high winds up there.

[keith-m043.livejournal.com]

The most likely suspect of what's hidden in the secret floors is water tanks. Other suspects are air conditioning equipment and the elevator winches.

Now it can be told

[(Anonymous)]

In the future, please ask permission before using other people's copyrighted photos.

Floors 87-100 don't really exist. The elevator up to 102 is marked in feet, not floors, and only stops at four places in that distance, IIRC. 101 is a waiting area for 102; there's a stairway between them. (Architecturally, 102 is essentially unchanged from its original purpose as a blimp terminal, and exudes Art Deco in a way that not even 75 years of paint can cover.)

There is also a stairway up to 103, and then a ladder to 104. I have some pictures of Empire from January that I've been remiss in putting up that show the interior surface of the metal dome which surmounts the mooring mast. It's signed by all the broadcast engineers who have worked up there. Most of the space on 104 is taken up by RF plumbing.

The elevator from 85 up to 102 is the last remaining manual elevator in Empire; we were very lucky that the right people were there.

Re: Now it can be told

[poltr1]

A great big Thank You! for this information. (Hope you don't mind that I unscreened it.) My acrophobia would prevent me from ever finding this out in person. (And since 102 has been closed to the general public since 9/11, no one gets up there except broadcast engineers. And probably pigeons.)

I just hope they've put some sort of safety netting in the main building's ventilation shaft. Falling 80+ stories in darkness to instant death doesn't sound like a good time to me.

As for the picture, I used an IMG tag to reference the picture on bostonradio.org's website. (The tag: <img alt="Looking up from the 86th floor" src="http://gallery.bostonradio.org/2003-01/nyc/100-00880-med.jpg" height="320" width="240">) Is that outside the realm of fair use? If you're affiliated with Boston Radio, please advise me as to whom I need ask for clearance to use the picture.

Personally, I think it's a great picture, which is why I chose to use it. And yes, I know I can use the RADM Grace Hopper defense: "I find it easier to apologize than to ask permission."

Looking forward to seeing the pictures. Please advise me when they're posted.