September 1962: For the first time in 31 years, the Empire State Building received “a top-to-toe going over.” The job took five months and spanned all 102 stories. The crew members, 42 workers and 3 superintendents, were “the sort of men who do not bobble at heights.” This picture appeared in a photo spread with the caption: “Work on the base of the tower begins at dawn — and halts for the day before the first sightseers arrive at the observation deck on the 86th floor, just below here.” Photo: Jack Manning/The New York Times