History emanates from every nook and cranny at Eleven Madison Park. Originally the building was to be the Metropolitan Life North Building, which was intended to be the largest building in the world -- larger than the Empire State Building -- when construction began on it in 1928. Then Black Friday hit. With that, plans were scrapped and the 30-story building was made no taller than about a third of its originally estimated 100 stories. Not all history was lost, however. In fact, a number of the building's original touches remain in the dining room at Eleven Madison Park. For instance, the marble is the original marble and the window panes are the original window panes. And then there are the elevators: Because construction had already begun when its footprint changed, the building has more elevator shafts than floors, which means there's rarely a wait for an elevator!