By at least one major metric, One Vanderbilt’s Summit has overtaken the Empire State Building Observatory’s 95-year reign as king of the city’s sky-high viewing decks.
asserted
Summit → overtake → decks
Summit, just five years old, brought in more dough in the first half of this year than the iconic Empire State decks for the first time, according to filings by the buildings’ publicly traded owners.
uncertain
Summit → bring → owners
Summit’s $55.651 million operating revenue for the first six months of 2026 topped last year’s $53.541 million over the same period.
asserted
revenue → operate → period
The 3.9% increase was tucked into landlord SL Green’s supplement to its second-quarter earnings report.
asserted
increase → tuck → report
In comparison, Empire State Observatory revenue for the first half of 2026 plunged to $42.7 million from $57 million in the first half of 2025, according to Empire State Realty Trust’s second-quarter earnings report.
uncertain
revenue → plunge → report
“In fact, Summit revenue exceeded the Empire State Observatory in the fourth quarter of 2025 as well as in 2026 to date,” Manhattan-based Bank of Montreal analyst John P. Kim noted.
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Kim → exceed → Montreal
The shocking change of fortune came as Manhattan observation decks face more competition — there are a half-dozen today, compared with only two after 9/11.
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decks → come → 9/11
Moreover, the number of international travelers to the Big Apple — who comprise a large part of their business — has fallen by 8% since the pandemic.
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who → comprise → pandemic
Privately held companies own four of Manhattan’s observation decks — Tishman Speyer’s Top of the Rock, Related’s Edge, the Port Authority and Durst’s One World Observatory and Jamestown’s just-opened Times Square Skywalk — and aren’t required to divulge financial results.
asserted
companies → hold → results
There’s also the city’s newly opened, 36th-floor Centre 360 atop the Municipal Building at 1 Centre St. — and it’s free, although tickets must be booked well in advance.
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tickets → ’ → advance
“It’s the last thing that the pricey ones need,” a source said of the publicly funded competition.
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source → ’ → competition
Kim, whose office overlooks the Skywalk, said: “The observatory pie is growing, but it’s affecting the Empire State Building the most.”
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it → overlook → Building
He added that in the intensified struggle for visitors, “Everyone offers something new and different.”
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Everyone → add → something
Summit is on One Vanderbilt’s 97th to 99th floors, while Empire State has viewing platforms on the 86th and 102nd floors.
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State → have → floors
The latter have appeared in scores of movies, including “An Affair to Remember,” “The Producers,” “Sleepless in Seattle” and even “The Muppets Take Manhattan.”
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Muppets → appear → Manhattan
The numbers of visitors can’t be extrapolated from revenue, because crazy-quilt admission prices vary wildly depending on which options customers choose.
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customers → extrapolate → options
But Empire State Observatory’s net operating income plunged $12.4 million in the second quarter compared to $24.2 million the previous year, while the number of visitors fell 28% year-over-year.
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number → plunge → year
Chief Executive Tony Malkin told investors his company began “a total re-evaluation of our observatory business model and execution early in the first quarter.”
asserted
company → tell → quarter
That could mean less reliance on third-party sightseeing passes that bundle discounted admissions.
uncertain
that → mean → admissions
The setback caused Empire State Realty Trust to write down $166 million in value attached to the observatory, which astonishingly accounts for nearly 25% of net operating income for the company’s entire, nearly 9 million square-foot office portfolio.
asserted
which → cause → portfolio
(In comparison, SL Green holds interests in over 30 million square feet of properties).
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Green → hold → properties
The Empire State Observatory’s plight stands in contrast to the skyscraper’s 2.8 million square feet of offices, which are more than 96% leased at high rents.
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which → stand → rents
Powerhouse talent agency UTA recently signed for over 100,000 square feet, as The Post first reported.
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Post → sign → feet
The Aporia
