Lighting makes the Empire State Building a [P 016 / dominant part of the nighttime cityscape]. Like the building itself, the lights have changed with the times. In the mid-1950s, a system called the [L3 218 / "Freedom Lights"] was installed to light up the top 30 stories. These lights dazzled everybody - including hapless [L3 219 / birds] who were disoriented by their brightness.
To commemorate the New York World's Fair, new floodlights were installed in 1964. In 1976, to acknowledge the country's bicentennial celebration, [L3 415 / Douglas Leigh], creator of the billboards near Times Square, designed and installed colored lighting - appropriately, in red, white and blue. Only a year later he upgraded the [L3 220 / lighting system] again. But he wasn't finished yet. In 1984, Leigh installed a new [L3 223 / lighting system in the tower] leading to the 102nd floor observatory.
As a result of all this tinkering, the Empire State Building now [P 007 / lights up] with different colors in celebration of various [L3 224 / holidays and special events].
