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

by Pacelle, Mitchell

• ISBN13: 9780471403944
• ISBN10: 0471403946
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-10-16
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

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.

Author Biography

MITCHELL PACELLE is an award-winning journalist who has covered business for The Wall Street Journal over the past eleven years. He has won the New York Press Club’s 1999 Business Reporting award, was a finalist for UCLA’s Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, and was part of the team nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the collapse of the Long-Term Capital Management hedge fund.

Table of Contents

Prologue	1	(6)
Part One Sky's the Limit	7	(148)
The Deal and the Deception	9	(12)
Reaching for the Sky	21	(26)
Trophy Hunting	47	(24)
Yokoi's Secret	71	(24)
Yokoi Meets His Match	95	(14)
Old Guard, New World	109	(29)
East Meets West	138	(17)
Part Two Tower of Discord	155	(154)
Who Owns the Empire State Building?	157	(17)
Trump's Broadside	174	(17)
The French Front	191	(17)
Fall of the House of Harry	208	(15)
Sibling Rivalry	223	(15)
Behind Bars	238	(13)
A Meeting with Daddy	251	(11)
Yokoi's Last Stand	262	(12)
Heirs	274	(14)
Donald's Endgame	288	(21)
Epilogue	309	(6)
Source Notes	315	(16)
Acknowledgments	331	(4)
Index	335