Related Party Transactions Option Properties (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended
Jul. 15, 2014
112 West 34th Street [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Consideration paid	$ 423,600,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Equity Interests Issued and Issuable	229,000,000
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross	106,900,000
112 West 34th Street [Member] \| Affiliated Entity [Member] \| Option Properties Transaction [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Consideration paid	423,600,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Equity Interests Issued and Issuable	44,900,000
112 West 34th Street [Member] \| Chief Executive Officer [Member] \| Option Properties Transaction [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Equity Interests Issued and Issuable	39,400,000
112 West 34th Street [Member] \| Board of Directors Chairman [Member] \| Option Properties Transaction [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Equity Interests Issued and Issuable	2,700,000
Location 1400 Broadway [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Consideration paid	310,000,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Equity Interests Issued and Issuable	150,300,000
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross	79,700,000
Location 1400 Broadway [Member] \| Affiliated Entity [Member] \| Option Properties Transaction [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Consideration paid	310,000,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Equity Interests Issued and Issuable	23,500,000
Location 1400 Broadway [Member] \| Chief Executive Officer [Member] \| Option Properties Transaction [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Equity Interests Issued and Issuable	23,300,000
Leona M. Helmsley Estate [Member] \| 112 West 34th Street [Member] \| Affiliated Entity [Member] \| Option Properties Transaction [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross	92,400,000
Leona M. Helmsley Estate [Member] \| Location 1400 Broadway [Member] \| Affiliated Entity [Member] \| Option Properties Transaction [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross	$ 56,600,000

Amount of consideration transferred, consisting of acquisition-date fair value of assets transferred by the acquirer, liabilities incurred by the acquirer, and equity interest issued by the acquirer.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 805

-SubTopic 30

-Section 30

-Paragraph 7

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6911251&loc=d3e6578-128477

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 805

-SubTopic 30

-Section 30

-Paragraph 8

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6911251&loc=d3e6613-128477

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 805

-SubTopic 30

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (b)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7488404&loc=d3e6927-128479

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessCombinationConsiderationTransferred1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of equity interests of the acquirer, including instruments or interests issued or issuable in consideration for the business combination.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessCombinationConsiderationTransferredEquityInterestsIssuedAndIssuable
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The cash outflow associated with the acquisition of business during the period. The cash portion only of the acquisition price.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Investing Activities

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6516133

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 230

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

-Paragraph 13

-Subparagraph (b)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=31042434&loc=d3e3213-108585

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PaymentsToAcquireBusinessesGross
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis=esrt_A112West34thStreetMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis=esrt_Location1400BroadwayMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_CounterpartyNameAxis=esrt_LeonaM.HelmsleyEstateMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: