Photo Tour of Sites of Famous New York Deaths

By Pamela Skillings, About.com Guide

The Empire State Building may be beautiful, but the iconic New York skyscraper also has a dark side. More than 30 people have committed suicide by leaping from the Empire State Building -- starting with a laid-off construction worker who jumped before the building was even completed.

In 1947, after several suicide attempts in a few short weeks, a fence was built on the 86th-floor observatory to discourage potential jumpers. This didn't stop the suicides, however. People just started jumping from other floors.

Raphael noted that cross-winds caused by surrounding buildings now make it much more difficult to leap from the Empire State Building: "You have to get a running start now."