Starrett Bros EkenEdit
Starrett Bros Eken, formally Starrett Bros. & Eken, was a prominent American construction firm headquartered in New York City that helped define the skyline of the interwar era. Active in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the partnership brought together a family-owned know-how in heavy building trades with a capable management group that pursued large-scale projects at a pace rarely seen before in private construction. The firm is best known for its work on the Empire State Building, a project that became a symbol of American ambition and technological prowess during the Great Depression.
The outfit emerged during a period when private builders competed intensely to claim the city’s growing demand for modern office space. The leadership combined the Starrett family’s construction background with a partner identified as Eken, forming a collaboration that could marshal substantial labor forces, steel framing, and coordinated logistics to push ambitious high-rise programs from blueprint to steel and glass. The company’s activities were deeply intertwined with the broader story of New York City’s architectural evolution, as well as the financing and risk-taking that characterized private development in a volatile economic era. The Empire State Building stands as the clearest surviving monument to this approach, but it was not the only project that defined the firm’s portfolio or its method of operation. Empire State Building.
Major projects
Empire State Building (1931) — The project is the standout achievement associated with Starrett Bros Eken. Built during a tight time window in the heart of the city’s Midtown, the work demonstrated the efficiency and scale that private contractors could summon when markets favored rapid development. The building’s completion in 1931 came amid the depths of the Great Depression and showcased how private enterprise could create jobs and signal optimism even in hard times. The project relied on a massive steel skeleton, a carefully choreographed workforce, and a pace of work designed to outstrip the constraints of the era. For many observers, it encapsulated a belief in progress driven by private initiative rather than government-led planning. Empire State Building.
Other high-rise projects in the period — Beyond the Empire State Building, Starrett Bros Eken were involved in additional skyscraper work in New York City and the surrounding region. These efforts reflected the era’s demand for modern office space and the willingness of private contractors to undertake large, complex developments. While not all individual buildings remain widely associated with the firm today, the collective output contributed to the city’s reputation as a center of architectural innovation. New York City Skyscrapers.
Construction methods and labor relations
Starrett Bros Eken operated in an age when steel-frame construction and rapid assembly became standard for tall buildings. The firm’s approach combined technical expertise in framing with aggressive scheduling and procurement practices, enabling multi-million-dollar projects to move from ground-breaking to completion in comparatively short spans. The Empire State Building, in particular, reflected a system in which large-scale coordination—contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and a sizeable labor force—was essential to meet ambitious deadlines. Steel frames, concrete work, and façade assembly were central to the method.
Labor relations and safety were central matters of the era. Private firms took on the risk of employing thousands of workers under demanding conditions, and the period’s lax regulatory environment meant that safety standards lagged behind what later generations would demand. From a historical perspective, the rapid pace of such projects translated into risks on the job site, sparking ongoing debates about the balance between urgency, efficiency, and worker protection. Proponents of private-led development argue that fast construction created immediate employment and momentum for the economy, while critics point to avoidable injuries and the human costs of speed. In contemporary discussions, many of these issues are revisited in the context of labor standards and workplace safety, with Labor union activity and regulatory evolution playing significant roles in shaping how such projects would proceed today. Construction Labor unions.
Economic role and policy debates
The Starrett Bros Eken story sits at the intersection of private risk-taking and public interest. On one hand, the firm’s ability to mobilize capital, materials, and people for large-scale projects during the late 1920s and early 1930s contributed to job creation and technological progress at a time when Great Depression hardships were widespread. On the other hand, the era’s environmental and labor standards were not yet as developed as they would become, leading to debates over how much private contractors should shoulder in terms of safety, wages, and working conditions. Supporters of private-led development emphasize the catalytic role such firms played in economic growth and urban modernization, arguing that the private sector often moves faster and more efficiently than government-led initiatives.
Controversies surrounding the period commonly touch on labor relations, union influence, and the adequacy of safety measures. Proponents of a pro-business stance contend that open competition, flexible labor practices, and the pursuit of efficiency can deliver public benefits—jobs, infrastructure, and private capital recirculating through the economy—without unnecessary government overreach. Critics, meanwhile, highlight the human costs of rapid construction and the potential for price-wheeling or worker exploitation in an era with fewer protective rules. In this view, modern standards and the push toward higher safety, fair wages, and accountability are essential improvements over the practices of the early skyscraper era. Advocates of the private-development model argue that the resulting growth created the conditions for broader prosperity, while acknowledging that past excesses and dangers prompted the subsequent evolution of labor and safety norms. Public Works Administration.
Legacy
Starrett Bros Eken’s place in the history of American construction rests on their role in crafting a new urban architectural language for private, non-governmental actors. The Empire State Building, as their most famous achievement, remains a touchstone for discussions about private initiative, urban growth, and the rapid-building techniques that helped shape modern American commerce. The firm’s work is frequently cited in histories of the New York City skyline and the broader story of how the private sector organized for large-scale building projects during a turbulent economic era. Empire State Building.