Empire: A Tale of Obsession, Betrayal, and the Battle for an American Icon

by Mitchell Pacelle

The world's most famous skyscraper, the Empire State Building is an icon as immediately recognizable as the Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramids, or the Taj Mahal; and for some of the world's most powerful men, it is the ultimate prize. From the day it was erected, it has been the object of obsession for the heads of empires, conjuring their most hidden vices. In a riveting chronicle of betrayal, revenge, family rivalry, and raw greed, award-winning journalist Mitchell Pacelle tells the compelling tale of the history of the Empire State Building and the battle for ownership which reveals the inner workings of a world of powerful, self-made men. Pacelle brings to life the colorful cast of characters involved-a dramatis personae including the most powerful players in the international real estate markets both old and new, including John Raskob and Pierre du Pont alongside Donald Trump, the Helmsleys, Peter Malkin, and the eccentric Japanese billionaire Hideki Yokoi. Before the tale is over, Yokoi will accuse his beloved illegitimate daughter of stealing the building from him, several participants will land in jail, one will die suddenly, and a tense legal standoff will leave the landmark in limbo. One of the most fascinating characters to emerge from this richly layered story is the building itself, with its legendary romances and suicides, its odd tenants, and the countless human triumphs and tragedies that have been played out within its towering walls.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Business, New York

360 pages, Hardcover

First published January 30, 2001

Reviews

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and in depth history of the building

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up to 3
Nasty people wheeling and dealing in NYC real estate, why am I not surprised?

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about a building? How could that topic be interesting? Trust me, you probably won’t be able to put this one down! OK, it’s about real estate deals but the building of interest is the most iconic building in New York City. And it involves straw buyers trying to conceal who the true buyer is, disreputable wheelers and dealers, as well as big time players in international real estate like Leona Helmsley, Donald Trump, etc all trying to outmaneuver each other in high stakes property deals, make and break contracts, and more. Think books on real estate are boring? This book will bust that myth!

[Benjamin Wetmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good and competent book. It felt a bit disjointed at times and trying to be in between a pop history book with outsized personalities, and a primer on real estate law. Frankly I appreciated the tidbit where Pacelle offered more technical background about the legal positions of participants than just how they may have been feeling. The book shines with its details and specificity, and suffers in parts where it kist wants to rehash the clash of the real estate titans.

[Lukas Novotny · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book feels like a collection of articles tucked away somewhere deep in Wall Street Journal. There's surprisingly very little information about the actual building and its construction. The whole story spins around greed, tax avoidance and pettiness of real estate developers— and will be interesting probably only to people working in the industry.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Empire State Building, lusted after by real estate developers and shady rich characters in the era of "Greed is Good" 1981-2002, is the focus of Pacelle's book. Not a biography of a building or its architecture, but a good yarn with legal insights. Donald Trump's 1990s involvement in trying to acquire control of ownership is revealed in all its agressive, sleazy glory.

[Snehann Kapnadak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorter and sweet but still good. 99-year ground leases can get very complicated, so kudos to the author for explaining them very clearly. I would’ve liked to hear a little more background on Trump’s feud with Helmsley.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of "inside baseball" sort of crap about Trump, Helmsley, and the New York real estate world. We would probably all be better off no knowing of any of these people and their shenanigans.

[David Skinner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story about the dealings of Trump and the Empire State Building, but not enough captivating detail so as to make me want to read it again or recommend it

[Meg Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a twisted tale of greed and egos in the battle for ownership of the Empire State Building. Fascinating. Only winners were the lawyers.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent overview of the battle that took place for ownership/control of the building during the 1980's/ 1990's. The stories can get a tad complex, but in comparison to other factual/historical books I found it easy to read and not bogged down in the minutiae.

I found most fascinating the stories of the main players- who reinforce the notion that no matter how much money you have, you still make bad business decisions based on ego/emotion & ignorance. I think this book would have been more popular except for its very bad timing of release date.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not being a New Yorker, I didn't give it much thought about who owned the Empire State Building. As it turns out, Leona Helmsley owned a 100-year lease that a Japanese billionaire and Donald Trump wanted to own by ousting Leona and Co. out by claiming negligence. The Japanese billionaire had an unsavory (Yakuza) past, illegitimate daughter, and sons in a tangled mess of who-owns-what when the billionaire dies. It's all a very nasty business of toy (in the form of expensive real estate) collection for the very, very wealthy with egos that exceed their budgets.

[Steven Yenzer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Accidentally read an abridged version, but it's hard to imagine how much more enlightening additional detail would have been. Empire is simply the account of the complex legal case that sprung up around the Empire State Building in the 90s. It isn't a boring story, but it isn't particularly fascinating. I found it enlightening to see what modern real estate deals look like, and how relative value is, but that was about it.

[Seth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good enough to finish - not quite good enough to recommend. Interesting Trump anecdotes throughout given it was written in the midst of his “quixotic” presidential bid in 2000 - how quickly the world can change. Also notable as it was published shortly before 9/11 so many stories about the WTC. All in all a somewhat interesting read and I certainly learned about a whole new side of the Empire State Building.

[RYD · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an account of the struggle for control of the Empire State Building between Leona Helmsley and Donald Trump and between a disgraced Japanese tycoon and his daughter. Unfortunately, it has more promise than it delivers, since the legal battles all ended up being settled, without a lot of impact on anyone other than the people doing the fighting.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy a real life mystery story this is it. Starts with wealthy families in the US, then moves to a family in Japan and ends with a struggle of big names to own the Empire State Building. You don't want to put this one down........

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a book i would generally pick up and read, however, it was rather interesting to learn who was involved in all the scandel in the battle for this american icon.

[Al Borden · Rating 3 out of 5]

great story. interesting to learn that rich New Yorkers can be pushy, greedy and lacking all ethical standards of conduct

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew rich people could be so cut-throat? Just kidding...of course we knew!

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiction is my favorite reading passtime however the occasional non-fiction catches me up just as well and this book marks one of those occasions.

[Katharine Ott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Empire" - written by Mitchell Pacelle and published in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons. An exhaustive history of the Empire State Building.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six years ago Dr. Tsukuda, a Yokohama oncologist who met with me weekly to hone his English conversation skills, was surprised that I had not heard of Hideki Yokoi, the elderly Tokyo businessman who bought the Empire State Building. Yokoi was sentenced to a Japanese prison after a fire in a hotel he owned caused the death of 33 people, including Dr. Tsukuda's brother. I lost touch with Dr. Tsukuda in the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake/tsunami/Fukushima reactor incident. When I recently learned that he died later that year, I pulled this book he had recommended off my shelf to honor my memories of the hours we spent together.

Pacelle, who worked for the Wall Street Journal when Empire was published in 2001 (and perhaps still does), gives us a remarkably readable and objective account of the history of the Empire State Building and commercial real estate in general. Much to my surprise, the colorful cast of characters embroiled in the battle for control of the Empire State Building includes a blowhard, nearly bankrupt "celebrity developer" who will eventually become President of the United States, something Pacelle could not possibly predict when he wrote this book. Empire was an interesting read. I am indebted to Dr Tsukuda for steering me to it.