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

Mitchell Pacelle

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471403946 ISBN 13: 9780471403944

Publisher: Wiley, 2001

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review:

Each day over 4,000 people take the elevator up to the observatory of the Empire State Building to catch a minute of glory. What almost none of them have known--until now--is just how many people have fought to own outright the crown jewel beneath them, and the chaos that these trophy hunters have caused. "Over the years," writes Wall Street Journal reporter Mitchell Pacelle, "the Empire State Building had exerted an almost magnetic pull over a certain kind of man, the kind who once had nothing and now had everything." The construction of the Empire State Building was a $50 million roll of the dice by a failed political candidate, who took on the impossible task of filling 80 floors with paying tenants in the midst of the Depression just to win the race for skyline supremacy. Thirty years later, the Prudential Company gutted the building's profit potential by leasing it to real estate magnates Larry Wien and Harry Helmsley for 114 years. Their heirs, Peter Milkin and Leona Helmsley, would end up locked in a bitter embrace. Then, in 1991, Prudential decided to sell the tower, and the building entered its most bizarre period as a group of eccentric billionaires fought to control it.

Pacelle masterfully tells the story of Hideki Yokoi, a Japanese businessman with a shady past who became obsessed with the American icon during an $80 million shopping spree. Rebuffed in his pursuit by Prudential, he finally landed the building with the help of his illegitimate daughter, a front man, shell companies, and a fair number of lies--but not for long. Convinced that his daughter had stolen the building from him, he initiated a bizarre family feud that landed two people in jail. Add Donald Trump to the mix (and a plan to upscale the building with luxury condos, classy restaurants, and a hotel) and an epic legal war began between Trump and his nemesis Leona Helmsley, holder of the precious lease. Full of mind-boggling twists and betrayals, Pacelle's book is a priceless cautionary tale about ego, greed, and vengeance, and the inevitable bust that follows every bubble. --Lesley Reed

From the Publisher:

More Reviews

"...it is a book - and a very good one..." (The Guardian Weekly, 29 November 2001)

"At first glance, Empire looks as if it may be one of those books that only a New Yorker could love...But Mitchell Pacelle...is canny enough to combine a wealth of local details with a broader narrative flow." (Financial Times, December 19, 2001)

"...This story is full of colour and rattles along at the pace of a thriller...Empire is a fascinating insight into an American icon". (Sunday Business, 9 December 2001)

"...It says much for Pacelle's forensic and narrative skills that he manages to tell this labyrinthine, fascinating tale with admirable clarity and fairness..." (Financial Times, 18 December 2001)

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0471403946
• ISBN 13: 9780471403944
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352