Erastus Corning II Tower (1973) was named for Albany NY’s long-time mayor, who served the city for over 40 years, from 1941 to 1983. It’s the tallest skyscraper in New York State outside of NYC.
Corning Tower – and the others on the Plaza – have facades of marble and glass. While the architecture on Empire State Plaza is often referred to as being unremarkable, the simplicity in geometric design is unique to New York’s Capitol and has a certain beauty of its own.
The tower houses the New York State Department of Health (DOH) and the Office of General Services (OGS) in addition to a series of other smaller agencies. In addition to being a critical office building, it’s also a public site. Beautiful artwork can be found in its lobby, and the building has a 42nd-floor observation deck. The observation deck features panoramic views of Albany and the surrounding Hudson River Valley. It’s free and open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday.