![Iron workers sit 310 feet above the Hudson river on...]()
Harry Warnecke/New York Daily News
Iron workers sit 310 feet above the Hudson river on the Mid-Hudson Bridge as it is being constructed back in August 1929.
![No, they're not tightrope walkers! Those three itty bitty specks...]()
New York Daily News
No, they're not tightrope walkers! Those three itty bitty specks atop a girder that is suspended in mid air above Astoria, Queens are Triborough Bridge construction workers.
![Construction workers pose inside a globe before installing it in...]()
New York Daily News
Construction workers pose inside a globe before installing it in the lobby of the Daily News building in 1929.
![Two construction workers stop dead in their tracks on a...]()
Howard Simmons/New York Daily News
Two construction workers stop dead in their tracks on a steel beam to have a chat over lower Manhattan.
![You have to commend not only the brave construction workers...]()
Reuters/Courtesy of Charles Ebbets
You have to commend not only the brave construction workers who soar high above New York City, but also the photographers who are there to capture the moment. Here, Charles Ebbets who is famous for his "Lunch atop a Skyscraper" shot is seen on the other side of the camera in 1932.
![Some things never change! Even in 2012 during the construction...]()
Lucas Jackson-Pool/Getty Images
Some things never change! Even in 2012 during the construction of One World Trade Center, men are still walking across steel beams hundreds of feet above New York City. Here, two steelworkers maneuver a beam into place on the 100th story of One World Trade Center making it NYC's tallest building on April 30, 2012.
![Work continues at a rapid pace atop One World Trade...]()
Mark Bonifacio/New York Daily News
Work continues at a rapid pace atop One World Trade Center. The glimmering skyscraper is slated to open to businesses in 2014.
![How else would you fix the antenna? A bridgeman with...]()
AP
How else would you fix the antenna? A bridgeman with U.S. Steel climbs atop the Empire State Building on Oct. 26, 1950. He's one of 22 structual iron workers who erected a permanent five-station television tower on top of the Empire State Building.
![One worker uses a mere steel beam as a sidewalk...]()
New York Daily News
One worker uses a mere steel beam as a sidewalk while working on the Pan Am building in 1962. The building on Park Avenue was completed in 1963 and is now called the MetLife Building.
![Sparks fly from above as a workman dismantles a sign...]()
Robert Kradin/AP
Sparks fly from above as a workman dismantles a sign overlooking Times Square in 1942.
![One construction worker takes a leap of faith while working...]()
Susan Watts/New York Daily News
One construction worker takes a leap of faith while working above 42nd St. and Broadway.
![The World Trade Center was completed in lower Manhattan in...]()
John Duprey/New York Daily News
The World Trade Center was completed in lower Manhattan in 1973. Here, a man is seen hard at work atop the building back in 1970.
![Members of a derrick gang lay a beam atop the...]()
Science & Society Picture Library/Getty Images
Members of a derrick gang lay a beam atop the Empire State Building during construction in 1931.
![How's it hanging up there? Fearless construction workers were spotted...]()
REUTERS/Bettman/CORBIS, Joe Woolhead/Sipa USA
How's it hanging up there? Fearless construction workers were spotted hanging off equipment at the top of One World Center. But this is hardly a strange site in the Big Apple, where workers have been dangling from steel beams for years while constructing skyscrapers. As One World Trade Center reaches new heights as NYC's tallest building, take a look back at decades of workers who've braved their lives hundreds of feet above the busy streets of Manhattan ...
![There's life way up here, too! Two workers on top...]()
New York Daily News
There's life way up here, too! Two workers on top of the Chrysler Building hold kittens that were born on the construction site.
![At hundreds of feet above the bustling streets of New...]()
AP
At hundreds of feet above the bustling streets of New York City there's not just work, there's also rest. A construction worker relaxes during his lunch break on top of the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center on Sept. 29, 1932.
![Don't look down! A steelworker rests on a girder at...]()
AP
Don't look down! A steelworker rests on a girder at the 86th floor of the new Empire State Building during construction in New York City on Sept. 24, 1930.
![Thanks to brave construction workers like these men, One World...]()
Joe Woolhead/Sipa USA
Thanks to brave construction workers like these men, One World Trade Center surpassed the Empire State Building to become New York City's tallest building on April 30, 2012. Workers continue to strap in with safety harnesses as One World Trade Center climbs to its final height of 1,776 feet.
![The rest of that resting workers' crew also takes their...]()
AP
The rest of that resting workers' crew also takes their lunch break on a steel beam on top of the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center on Sept. 29, 1932.
As One World Trade Center reaches new heights as New York’s tallest building, take a look back at decades of workers who’ve braved their lives while dangling high above Manhattan.
