Answers About the Empire State Building - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

“The Excelsior State” might not work, it was once another name for packing material before “peanuts” of styrofoam, bubble-wrap and other plastic airbags. It’s also an avenue in Saratoga Springs where “Old Red Spring” is located. I worked on the EPA Superfund site across the street, where “city gas” was made, stored and redistributed from twin brick “gasholders” which “coal tar” was a byproduct of, the German chemists made fortunes out of it, chiefly aniline dyes. It colored the world!  Answers About the Empire State Building - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com Ed. - all the large electrical conduit in the ESB is made from coal tar.