The Empire State Building won’t light up to honor Polish Independence Day on Tuesday — and charged-up critics aren’t taking the snub lightly.
Several City Council members told The Post they’ve pushed for the tribute but they’ve been met with multiple denials from the organization that decides on the lighting schedule for the famous Manhattan skyscraper.
“The Polish-American community is one of the largest ethnic communities in New York, and they have made significant contributions to our city’s cultural, social, and economic fabric,” council members Bob Holden, Joann Ariola, Lincoln Restler and Carlina Rivera wrote in a Nov. 4 letter to the president and chairman of the Empire State Realty Trust, pleading the bigwigs to reconsider the decision.
“Moving forward, we ask that you continue to embrace opportunities to celebrate the diverse communities that call New York home,” the letter added.
While Polish Independence Day is celebrated on Nov. 11, supporters asked for Nov. 12 date so it didn’t conflict with Veterans Day on Monday.
The iconic skyscraper will instead be lit cyan Tuesday as part of a partnership with the EPA’s Energy Star program in honor of Energy Star’s use for commercial buildings and plants, according to the building’s website.
A representative for the trust didn’t return multiple requests for comment.
New Yorkers will still be able to view white and red hues at City Hall, the Kosciuszko Bridge, Moynihan Train Hall and the East End Gateway in honor of Polish Independence Day.
The building has held the tradition of “changing the color of the lights to recognize important occasions, holidays, and organizations throughout the year” since 1976, according to its website.
The building has marked other national independence celebrations, either – in 2024 alone, the skyscraper has been aglow with the respective colors for Mexican, Ukraine, Colombian independence celebrations.
Polish-Americans also represent nearly 2% of all New Yorkers, and the Big Apple is home to one of the largest Polish communities in the nation, according to US Census data.
“Poland is one of the U.S.‘s oldest and strongest allies, and NYC’s Polish-American community works hard and contributes so much,” council member Holden said in a statement. “It’s disappointing [that] the Empire State Building refuses to light up in Poland’s colors for Independence Day.”
Council member Ariola railed against the perceived snub in an X post.
“NYC has a strong, vibrant Polish-American community, and the Empire State Buildings refusal to light up in Polish colors to honor Poland’s Independence Day and celebrate the heritage of these hardworking men and women is unacceptable,” Ariola wrote.
This isn’t the first time the Empire State Building has passed on an honor for Polish-Americans.
An application for the building to glow red and white in honor Poland-born Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski was tossed without explanation in 2010, the New York Daily News reported — about a week after a German-born Revolutionary War general was honored with the lights.
The tower was lit annually on the eve of the Pulaski Day Parade in October, but that practice was mysteriously scrapped in 2008, the outlet added.
Kosciuszko Foundation President Marek Skulimowski said the choice not to light up to mark Polish Independence Day on Tuesday was “deeply disappointing.”
“This decision is not an isolated incident—it follows similar refusals to recognize Polish colors during significant occasions like the Pulaski Day Parade in October,” he said. “This continued disregard is an affront to the hardworking Polish-American community, which has contributed so much to the independence and prosperity of the United States.
“It is our hope that future decisions reflect a broader understanding of the diverse histories and communities that have made this nation great.”
