 Rockefeller Center is an art deco
marvel consisting of 19 commercial buildings covering 11 acres in midtown Manhattan from
49th to 52nd Streets, Fifth to Seventh Avenues.Named after the multi-millionaire, John D. Rockefeller, who
leased the space from Columbia University in 1928.
Originally occupied by tenements and
theaters, Rockefeller planned to revitalize the area with 3 huge office buildings and a
new Metropolitan Opera House. The
stock market crash of 1929 helped scrap the original plans but Rockefeller still wanted a
commercial district.
Hiring 3 architecture firms and a consulting firm,
ground was broken on the Rockefeller Center we see today in late 1929.
30 Rockefeller Plaza (above) was the largest and first
built. It is the centerpiece and probably best known building.
As you can see from this view from the
Empire
State Building, the 70-story building still towers over its
modern competitors.
 Completed
in 1934, 30 Rockefeller Plaza became the RCA headquarters.
General Electric's initials
now brighten the rooftop of the home of NBC.
30 Rockefeller Plaza is the most
public of the buildings and two of the most popular tourist attractions reside here.
The NBC Studio Tour, lets you see
where popular shows like Saturday Night Live, Late Night With Conan O'Brien and
NBC News are taped. |
