Mark Kingwell's &lt;i&gt;Nearest Thing to Heaven: The Empire State Building and American Dreams&lt;/i&gt;

Tracey Nicholls

doi:10.22329/p.v2i2.403

Abstract

Mark Kingwell's <i>Nearest Thing to Heaven: The Empire State Building and American Dreams</i>

Highlights

Mark Kingwell’s latest book is an engaging and loving tribute to New York City’s Empire State Building, arguably the most famous and widely recognized building in the United States
His book takes its title from a line in the film An Affair to Remember, one of the first to depict the building as a site of meeting or reunion for couples whose lives are transformed by ‘true love’; the female lead responds to her lover’s suggestion that they meet again in six months at the top of the building with the enthusiastic observation that his choice is perfect because “it’s the nearest thing to heaven we have in New York!” (172)
Kingwell’s analysis of the Empire State Building ranges over the history of its construction, its life as an office building and a tourist attraction, and its presence in our cultural landscape, tracing the “dynamic between longing and visibility” the building exemplifies (ix). While he provides a comprehensive account of the complex and enduring relationship the building has had with the city since its inception, Kingwell pays particular attention to how, having previously faded into a kind of invisibility because of its familiarity, the building has re-emerged as visible since the abrupt and tragic removal of the World Trade Center buildings (ix)

Summary

Introduction

Nearest Thing to Heaven: The Empire State Building and American Dreams. Mark Kingwell’s latest book is an engaging and loving tribute to New York City’s Empire State Building, arguably the most famous and widely recognized building in the United States.

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