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30 Rockefeller Plaza
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{{Short description|Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York}} {{hatnote group|{{Redirect|GE Building|the other GE Building in Manhattan|General Electric Building|other GE buildings|General Electric Building (disambiguation)}} {{Redirect|Comcast Building|the Philadelphia building|Comcast Center|other Comcast buildings|Comcast Center (disambiguation)}}}} {{Good article}} {{Use American English|date=July 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Infobox building | name = 30 Rockefeller Plaza<br />(Comcast Building) | former_names = RCA Building (1933–1988)<br />GE Building (1988–2015) | alternate_names = 30 Rock<br />NBCUniversal Building | image = 30_Rockefeller_Plaza_viewed_from_5th_Avenue,_August_29,_2024_(cropped).jpg | image_width = 300 | caption = As the Comcast Building, August 2024 | location = 30 [[Rockefeller Plaza]]<br />[[New York City|New York]], [[New York (state)|New York]] 10112 | mapframe-wikidata = yes | coordinates = {{Coord|40|45|32|N|73|58|45|W|type:landmark_region:US-NY_scale:10000|display=inline,title}} | mapframe = no<!-- There is an interactive map directly below this infobox. --> | status = Complete | completion_date = 1933 | building_type = Offices and television studios ([[NBC]]) | roof = {{cvt|850|ft|m}} | floor_count = 66 | elevator_count = 60 | cost = | floor_area = {{cvt|2,099,985|ft2|m2}} | architect = [[Raymond Hood]] | structural_engineer = Edwards & Hjorth; H.G. Balcom & Associates | main_contractor = | developer = [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]] | owner = [[NBCUniversal]] (floors 2–16)<br />[[Tishman Speyer]] (all other floors) | references = <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/115419 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422113420/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/115419 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 22, 2016 |title=Emporis building ID 115419 |work=[[Emporis]]}}</ref> | embedded = {{Infobox historic site | embed = yes | architecture = [[Modern architecture|Modern]], [[Art Deco]] | designation1 = NRHP-CP | designation1_date = December 23, 1987 | designation1_number = 87002591<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=2027&ResourceType=Building |title=Rockefeller Center |date=September 18, 2007 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011225740/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=2027&ResourceType=Building |archive-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref> | designation1_free1name = Designated entity | designation1_free1value = Rockefeller Center | designation2 = NYCL | designation2_date = April 23, 1985{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=11}} | designation2_number = 1446{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=11}} | designation2_free1name = Designated entity | designation2_free1value = Facade: Rockefeller Center | designation3 = NYCL | designation3_date = April 23, 1985{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=1}} | designation3_number = 1448{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=1}} | designation3_free1name = Designated entity | designation3_free1value = Interior: Lobby | designation4 = NYCL | designation4_date = October 16, 2012{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=1}} | designation4_number = 2505{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=1}} | designation4_free1name = Designated entity | designation4_free1value = Interior: [[Rainbow Room]] }} }} '''30 Rockefeller Plaza''' (officially the '''Comcast Building'''; formerly '''RCA Building''' and '''GE Building''') is a [[skyscraper]] that forms the centerpiece of [[Rockefeller Center]] in the [[Midtown Manhattan]] neighborhood of [[New York City]], New York, U.S. Completed in 1933, the 66-story, {{cvt|850|ft|m}} building was designed in the [[Art Deco]] style by [[Raymond Hood]], Rockefeller Center's lead architect. 30 Rockefeller Plaza was known for its main tenant, the [[Radio Corporation of America]] (RCA), from its opening in 1933 until 1988 and then for [[General Electric]] until 2015, when it was renamed for its owner [[Comcast]]. The building also houses the headquarters and [[NBC Studios (New York City)|New York studios]] of television network [[NBC]]; the headquarters is sometimes called '''30 Rock''', a nickname that inspired [[30 Rock|the NBC sitcom of the same name]]. The tallest structure in Rockefeller Center, the building is the [[List of tallest buildings in New York City|28th tallest in New York City]] and the [[List of tallest buildings in the United States|65th tallest in the United States]], and was the third tallest building in the world when it opened. 30 Rockefeller Plaza's [[massing]] consists of three parts: the main 66-story tower to the east, a windowless section at the center, and a 16-story annex to the west. The building's design conforms with the [[1916 Zoning Resolution]]; it is shaped mostly as a slab with [[Setback (architecture)|setbacks]] primarily for aesthetic value. The facade is made of [[limestone]], with granite at the base, as well as about 6,000 windows separated by aluminum [[spandrel]]s. In addition to its offices and studios, 30 Rockefeller Plaza contains the [[Rainbow Room]] restaurant and an observation deck called Top of the Rock. 30 Rockefeller Plaza also includes numerous artworks and formerly contained the mural ''[[Man at the Crossroads]]'' by [[Diego Rivera]]. The entire Rockefeller Center complex is a [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission|New York City designated landmark]] and a [[National Historic Landmark]], and parts of 30 Rockefeller Plaza's interior are also New York City landmarks. 30 Rockefeller Plaza was developed as part of the [[construction of Rockefeller Center]], and work on its superstructure started in March 1932. The first tenant moved into the building on April 22, 1933, but its official opening was delayed due to controversy over ''Man at the Crossroads''. The Rainbow Room and the observation deck opened in the mid-1930s, and retail space was added to the ground floor in the 1950s. The building remained almost fully occupied through the 20th century and was renamed for GE in 1988. Since the late 1990s, NBC has owned most of the lower floors, while [[Tishman Speyer]] has operated the rest of the building. 30 Rockefeller Plaza was extensively renovated in 2014 and was renamed for Comcast in 2015. == Site == {{Rockefeller Center map |highlight = 5}} 30 Rockefeller Plaza is part of the [[Rockefeller Center]] complex in the [[Midtown Manhattan]] neighborhood of [[New York City]], New York, U.S.<ref name="ZoLa">{{Cite web |title=1271 Avenue of the Amer, 10020 |url=https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1003/29 |url-status=live |access-date=March 20, 2020 |publisher=[[New York City Department of City Planning]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715174812/https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1003/29 |archive-date=July 15, 2021}}</ref><ref name="aia5">{{cite aia5|pages=325}}</ref> It was intended as the central structure of Rockefeller Center, both physically and symbolically.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=4}}<ref name="Reynolds p. 301">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=301}}</ref> The [[land lot]] is nearly rectangular and covers {{cvt|107,766|ft2}}, bounded by [[Sixth Avenue]] (officially Avenue of the Americas<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bowen |first=Croswell |author-link=Croswell Bowen |date=April 1, 1970 |title=Topics: In Search of Sixth Avenue |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/04/01/archives/topics-in-search-of-sixth-avenue.html |access-date=July 16, 2021 |archive-date=July 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716141558/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/04/01/archives/topics-in-search-of-sixth-avenue.html |url-status=live }}</ref>) to the west, [[50th Street (Manhattan)|50th Street]] to the north, [[Rockefeller Plaza]] to the east, and 49th Street to the south. The site has a [[frontage]] of {{cvt|545|ft|0}} on 49th and 50th Streets and a frontage of {{cvt|175.46|ft|0}} on Sixth Avenue.<ref name="ZoLa" /> The main entrance is on Rockefeller Plaza, a private pedestrian street running through the complex, parallel to [[Fifth Avenue|Fifth]] and Sixth Avenues.<ref name="nyt-1933-01-16">{{Cite news |date=January 16, 1933 |title=' Rockefeller Plaza' Joins City Directory; Center's New Street and Promenade Named |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/01/16/archives/-rockefeller-plaza-joins-city-directory-centers-new-street-and.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213083049/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/01/16/archives/-rockefeller-plaza-joins-city-directory-centers-new-street-and.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=177}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|pp=32–33}} In front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza's main entrance, below ground level, is the Lower Plaza.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=64}}<ref>{{cite news |date=June 10, 1932 |title=Rockefeller City to Have Big Plaza |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/06/10/100759216.pdf |access-date=November 11, 2017 |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320174335/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/06/10/100759216.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The building is assigned its own [[ZIP Code]], 10112; it was one of 41 buildings in Manhattan that had their own ZIP Codes {{as of|2019|lc=y}}.<ref name="Brown 2019">{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Nicole |title=Why do some buildings have their own ZIP codes? NYCurious |website=amNewYork |date=March 18, 2019 |url=https://www.amny.com/news/nyc-zip-codes-1-28558957/ |access-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708215731/https://www.amny.com/news/nyc-zip-codes-1-28558957/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Across Sixth Avenue, the building faces [[1221 Avenue of the Americas]] to the southwest, [[1251 Avenue of the Americas]] to the west, and [[1271 Avenue of the Americas]] to the northwest. [[Radio City Music Hall]], [[1270 Avenue of the Americas]], and [[50 Rockefeller Plaza]] are directly to the north. Across Rockefeller Plaza are the [[International Building (Rockefeller Center)|International Building]] to the northeast, [[La Maison Francaise (Rockefeller Center)|La Maison Francaise]] and the [[British Empire Building]] to the east, and [[1 Rockefeller Plaza]] and [[608 Fifth Avenue]] to the southeast. In addition, [[10 Rockefeller Plaza]] is to the south.<ref name="ZoLa" /> The site was previously part of the campus of [[Columbia University]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 6, 1929 |title=Rockefeller Site For Opera Dropped |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/12/06/94215747.pdf |access-date=November 10, 2017 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163358/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/12/06/94215747.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref> which retained ownership of most of the land well after the complex was built.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dowd |first=Maureen |date=February 6, 1985 |title=Columbia Is to Get $400 Million in Rockefeller Center Land Sale |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/06/nyregion/colombia-is-to-get-400-million-in-rockefeller-center-land-sale.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=December 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210074022/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/06/nyregion/colombia-is-to-get-400-million-in-rockefeller-center-land-sale.html |url-status=live }}</ref> === Holdout buildings === The northwest and southwest corners of 30 Rockefeller Plaza were built around two [[Holdout (real estate)|holdout]] structures on Sixth Avenue.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=93–94, map p. 92}}{{sfn|Alpern|Durst|1996|pp=38, 40}} The owners of the parcel on Sixth Avenue and 49th Street, at the southwest corner of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, had demanded an exorbitant price for their property upon learning of the planned skyscraper.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=88–89}} The holdout building had contained Hurley's restaurant, which had opened around the 1890s and subsequently became a popular meeting place for [[NBC]] performers and executives. The restaurant was later connected by a direct passageway to 30 Rockefeller Plaza's studios.<ref name="nyt-2022-02-24">{{Cite news |last=Kurutz |first=Steven |date=February 24, 2022 |title=Can a Cool Bar Make It in Rockefeller Center? |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/style/pebble-bar-rockefeller-center-hurleys.html |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311234512/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/style/pebble-bar-rockefeller-center-hurleys.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Rockefeller Center acquired the building in the mid-20th century and ended the restaurant's lease in 1975,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tomasson |first=Robert E. |date=October 13, 1975 |title=An Old Bar Gives Way To an Imitation Old Bar |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/13/archives/an-old-bar-gives-way-to-an-imitation-old-bar.html |access-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310211349/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/13/archives/an-old-bar-gives-way-to-an-imitation-old-bar.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but the new lessees continued to run Hurley's until 1999.<ref name="nyt-2022-02-24" /> {{As of|March 2022}}, the holdout building contains Pebble Bar.<ref>{{cite web |last=Montagner |first=Anna |date=March 9, 2022 |title=Have a Drink at Pete Davidson's New Midtown Bar |url=https://www.papermag.com/pete-davidson-pebble-bar-2656895939.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1?rebelltitem=1 |access-date=March 11, 2022 |website=PAPER |archive-date=July 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719180927/https://www.papermag.com/pete-davidson-pebble-bar-2656895939.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1?rebelltitem=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> The other tenant, who occupied a plot on Sixth Avenue and 50th Street at 30 Rockefeller Plaza's northwest corner, never received a sale offer due to a misunderstanding.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=88–89}} The grocer John F. Maxwell would only sell his property at 50th Street if he received $1 million. Because of a miscommunication, the [[Rockefeller family]] was told that Maxwell would never sell, and Maxwell himself said that he had never been approached by the Rockefellers.{{sfn|Alpern|Durst|1996|p=38}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=93–94, map p. 92}} Consequently, Maxwell kept his property until his death in 1962, upon which Columbia bought the building;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fowler |first=Glenn |date=September 6, 1962 |title=Tiny Corner in Radio City Is Sold; Investors Get Parcel That One Family Held 110 Years 50th St. Plot, Bought in 1852 for $1,600, Brings $380,000 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/09/06/archives/tiny-corner-in-radio-city-is-sold-investors-get-parcel-that-one.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214164136/https://www.nytimes.com/1962/09/06/archives/tiny-corner-in-radio-city-is-sold-investors-get-parcel-that-one.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Rockefeller Center purchased the Maxwell family's lease in 1970.{{sfn|Alpern|Durst|1996|p=38}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=93–94, map p. 92}} == Architecture == 30 Rockefeller Plaza was designed by the Associated Architects of Rockefeller Center, composed of the firms of [[Corbett, Harrison & MacMurray]]; [[Hood, Godley & Fouilhoux]]; and [[Reinhard & Hofmeister]]. [[Raymond Hood]] was the complex's lead architect.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1939|p=334}}{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=13}} The Associated Architects designed all of Rockefeller Center's buildings in the Art Deco style.{{sfn|Robins|2017|p=112}} Developed as part of the [[construction of Rockefeller Center]], 30 Rockefeller Plaza opened in 1933 as the RCA Building.<ref name="aia5" /> 30 Rockefeller Plaza is {{cvt|872|ft|m}} tall and was built as a single structure occupying the entire block between Sixth Avenue and Rockefeller Plaza.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=4}} {{As of|December 2023}}, the building is the [[List of tallest buildings in New York City|31st tallest in New York City]] and the [[List of tallest buildings in the United States|65th tallest in the United States]].<ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2015 d479">{{cite web |date=October 28, 2015 |title=Comcast Building |url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/comcast-building/775 |access-date=December 18, 2023 |work=The Skyscraper Center |publisher=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat |archive-date=June 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612183518/https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/comcast-building/775 |url-status=live }}</ref> The design was influenced by Rockefeller Center manager John Todd's desire for the building to use its [[air rights]] to their maximum potential.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=59}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=53}} 30 Rockefeller Plaza rises to a flat roof, unlike some of the other skyscrapers built in New York City around the same time. These included the [[Chrysler Building]], [[70 Pine Street]], and [[40 Wall Street]], which used spires to reach their maximum heights.<ref name="p1529011229">{{cite magazine |date=December 20, 1932 |title=New RCA Building of 69 Stories Rivals the Towering Empire State |volume=109 |issue=2 |pages=60 |id={{ProQuest|1529011229}} |magazine=Variety}}</ref> [[Hartley Burr Alexander]], a mythology and symbology professor who oversaw Rockefeller Center's art program, led the installation of artwork throughout the complex.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=110}}<ref>{{cite news |date=December 6, 1931 |title=Outline is Drawn of Radio City Art |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/12/06/121612844.pdf |access-date=November 11, 2017 |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320174037/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/12/06/121612844.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=651}} The building's artwork was designed around the concept of "new frontiers", depicting modern society.<ref name="nyt-2009-07-26" /> === Form === [[File:GE Building by David Shankbone.JPG|thumb|left|Seen in 2007]] The [[massing]] of 30 Rockefeller Plaza is designed in three parts.<ref name="Reynolds p. 301" /><ref name="NRHP-87002591">{{cite web |date=December 23, 1987 |title=Rockefeller Center |publisher=[[National Register of Historic Places]], [[National Park Service]] |page=9 |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/39b76f3d-103b-4d05-a162-bf7cd852f6b4 |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320174035/https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/39b76f3d-103b-4d05-a162-bf7cd852f6b4 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=650}} The easternmost section contains a 66-story tower{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=59}} with two stories of retail on the west and east.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=650}} The tower is surrounded by a shorter U-shaped section to the north, west, and south.<ref name="p1529011229" /> Some sources give 30 Rockefeller Plaza's height as 70 stories, but this arises from a hyperbolic press release by Merle Crowell, the complex's publicist during construction.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=271}} At the middle of the site was a windowless nine-story section, which housed NBC's studios.<ref name="NRHP-87002591" />{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=650}} The western part of the site steps up again to a 16-story tower.<ref name="NRHP-87002591" />{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=59}}{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=650}} The western section at 1250 Avenue of the Americas, formerly also known as RCA Building West, is accessed mainly from Sixth Avenue.{{sfn|Adams|1985|pp=80}} The facade of the annex rises straight from the sidewalk, with notches at the corners, because the corner lots were private properties at the time of the building's construction in 1935.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=77}} The massing was influenced by the [[1916 Zoning Resolution]], which restricted the height that the street-side exterior walls of New York City buildings could rise before they needed to incorporate [[Setback (architecture)|setbacks]] that recessed the buildings' exterior walls away from the streets.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|pp=16–17}}<ref name="p1529011229" />{{efn|As per the 1916 Zoning Act, the wall of any given tower that faces a street could only rise to a certain height, proportionate to the street's width, at which point the building had to be set back by a given proportion. This system of setbacks would continue until the tower reaches a floor level in which that level's floor area was 25% that of the ground level's area. After that 25% threshold was reached, the building could rise without restriction.{{sfn|Kayden|Municipal Art Society|2000|p=8}} This law was superseded by the [[1961 Zoning Resolution]].{{sfn|Kayden|Municipal Art Society|2000|pp=11–12}}}} The base of the building could only rise to {{convert|120|ft}} before it had to taper to a tower covering 25 percent of the site.{{sfn|Kayden|Municipal Art Society|2000|p=8}}<ref name="p1529011229" /> The eastern tower appeared to violate this principle since it measured {{Convert|103|by|327|ft}}, but the base measured only {{convert|200|by|535|ft}}. The base does not occupy its entire plot, which measures {{convert|200|by|670|ft}}.<ref name="p1529011229" /> The tower section was recessed so far into the block that it could have risen without any setbacks. Hood decided to include setbacks anyway, as they represented "a sense of future, a sense of energy, a sense of purpose", according to architecture expert [[Alan Balfour]].{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=39}} Above the lowest stories, the north and south elevations rise straight up for 33 stories before setting back gradually.<ref name="NRHP-87002591" /> There are three setbacks each on the north, south, and east elevations.<ref name="Reynolds p. 302">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=302}}</ref> Hood also created a guideline that all of the office space in the complex would be no more than {{cvt|27|ft|m}} from a window,<ref name="p1240053177">{{cite news |date=February 24, 1932 |title=Glaziers Install 19,700 Panes in RCA Building: All Outside Windows Above Ground Floor Fitted' Much Plate Glass Used |page=30 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1240053177}}}}</ref><ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p.">{{cite book |last1=Žaknić |first1=Ivan |title=100 of the world's tallest buildings |last2=Smith |first2=Matthew |last3=Rice |first3=Dolores B. |author4=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat |date=1998 |publisher=Gingko Press |isbn=3-927258-60-1 |page=126 |oclc=40110184}}</ref> which was the maximum distance that sunlight could permeate the windows of a building at New York City's latitude.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=161–162}}{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=38}} The setbacks on the northern and southern sides of 30 Rockefeller Plaza allow the building to comply with Hood's guideline.<ref name="p1529011229" />{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=650}}{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=40}} The setbacks correspond to the tops of the elevator banks inside; this arrangement is repeated on the facade of the International Building.<ref name="Reynolds p. 302" /> Similarly, 30 Rockefeller Plaza also contains notches at its corners.<ref name="Reynolds p. 302" /><ref name="p1529011229" /> The eastern elevation's setbacks were included exclusively for aesthetic purposes.{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=40}} By contrast, the layout and massing of Rockefeller Center's other buildings were intended to maximize rental profit.{{sfn|Marshall|2005|p=125}} === Facade === 30 Rockefeller Plaza's limestone [[facade]] includes [[spandrel]]s with quadruple-leaf motifs in a [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]]-inspired style.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=138}}{{sfn|Karp|Gill|1982|p=62}} influenced the design of the rest of the complex.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=61}} The first story is clad with Deer Island [[granite]] to a height of {{cvt|4|ft}}.<ref name="Reynolds p. 303">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=303}}</ref>{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=72}} The remainder of the facade contains [[Indiana Limestone]] and aluminum spandrel panels.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=72}} Some {{convert|212000|ft3}} of limestone, {{convert|4100|ft3}} of granite, and 6,000 spandrels were used in the construction. The limestone covered {{convert|600000|ft2}}.<ref name="nyt-1932-12-08">{{Cite news |date=December 8, 1932 |title=Finish Exterior of RCA Skyscraper; Workmen Set Last Stones on Parapet of 70-Story Building in Rockefeller Center |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/12/08/archives/finish-exterior-of-rca-skyscraper-workmen-set-last-stones-on.html |access-date=February 12, 2022 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215004631/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/12/08/archives/finish-exterior-of-rca-skyscraper-workmen-set-last-stones-on.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The limestone blocks are laid slightly irregularly and contain [[Striation (geology)|striations]] for visual effect.<ref name="Reynolds p. 303" /> In addition, 10.38 million bricks were integrated into the facade.<ref name="nyt-1933-01-01">{{Cite news |date=January 1, 1933 |title=Rockefeller City to Use 39,100,000 Bricks, Enough to Build More Than 2,500 Dwellings |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/01/01/archives/rockefeller-city-to-use-39100000-bricks-enough-to-build-more-than.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213022859/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/01/01/archives/rockefeller-city-to-use-39100000-bricks-enough-to-build-more-than.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 30 Rockefeller Plaza also had 6,045 windows upon its completion, with 19,700 panes between them, covering {{convert|168340|ft2}} in total. Thirty-six of the windows measured {{convert|9|by|16|ft}} and were storefront windows. Those on the mezzanine level were composed of {{Convert|9|by|12|ft|adj=on}} panels flanked by smaller sidelights. Another 165 were [[casement window]]s, which had panes measuring {{convert|6|by|18|in}}; most of these were above the 65th floor. The remaining 5,824 were casement windows measuring {{convert|4|by|6|ft}}.<ref name="p1240053177" /> About 5,200 of these windows contained Venetian blinds, which were installed by the Mackin Venetian Blind Company.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 26, 1933 |title=Venetian Blinds in RCA Building. |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/04/26/archives/venetian-blinds-in-rca-building.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215001736/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/04/26/archives/venetian-blinds-in-rca-building.html |url-status=live }}</ref> {{Clear right}} ==== Entrances ==== {{Multiple image | image1 = Rockefeller Center Feb 2022 27.jpg | image2 = Rockefeller Center entrance (4674369705).jpg | total_width = 750 | caption1 = ''Sound'' to the left of the main entrance | footer = Components of [[Lee Lawrie]]'s ''Wisdom, A Voice from the Clouds'' | header = Main entrance | caption2 = ''Wisdom'' above the main entrance | image3 = Rockefeller Center Feb 2022 28.jpg | caption3 = ''Light'' to the right of the main entrance | direction = horizontal | align = center }} At street level, the stonework is relatively sparsely decorated.{{sfn|Marshall|2005|p=122}}{{sfn|Adams|1985|pp=64–66}} The main entrance of 30 Rockefeller Plaza was designed as a loggia of three arches: one at the center, measuring {{convert|37|ft}} high by {{convert|14|ft}} wide, and two on the sides, measuring {{convert|27|ft}} high by {{convert|13|ft}} wide.<ref name="p1114513116">{{cite news |date=June 10, 1932 |title=Lawrie to Do Entrance for RCA Building: 'Wisdom-- A Voice From the Clouds, the Title for Sculptor's Composition Taken From Proverbs Artist Silent on Work for the Rockefeller Center Proposed Sunken Plaza for Rockefeller Center |page=17 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1114513116}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1932-06-10">{{Cite news |date=June 10, 1932 |title=Rockefeller City to Have Big Plaza; New Street and Sunken Square to Be Built at Foot of 70-Story Skyscraper. |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/06/10/archives/rockefeller-city-to-have-big-plaza-new-street-and-sunken-square-to.html |access-date=February 12, 2022}}</ref>{{sfn|Architectural Forum|1933|p=275}} [[Lee Lawrie]] designed the sculptural group ''Wisdom, A Voice from the Clouds'', for the [[lintel]]s of the three arches.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=651}}<ref name="p1114513116" /><ref name="nyt-1932-06-10" /> Lawrie's carved rendering of ''Wisdom'' is above the center arch, flanked by ''Sound'' on the left and ''Light'' on the right.{{sfn|Architectural Forum|1933|p=275}}{{sfn|Adams|1985|pp=64–66}}{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1939|p=336}}{{sfn|Roussel|2006|pp=55–56}} The ''Wisdom'' [[frieze]] above the entrance is accompanied by an inscription reading "Wisdom and Knowledge shall be the stability of thy times", from [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] 33:6 (KJV).{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=64}}{{sfn|Roussel|2006|p=55}} The sculptural groups are accompanied by polychrome decorations created by [[Léon-Victor Solon]].{{sfn|Architectural Forum|1933|p=275}} Lawrie's three renderings are complemented by two limestone bas-reliefs by [[Leo Friedlander]]: one of Production on the north elevation and one of Radio on the south elevation.{{sfn|Adams|1985|pp=64–66}}{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1939|p=336}}{{sfn|Architectural Forum|1933|p=276}}{{sfn|Roussel|2006|pp=72–73}} [[File:Rockefeller Center Feb 2022 17.jpg|left|thumb|1230 Avenue of the Americas entrance]] 1230 Avenue of the Americas, the annex building to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, contains a [[Marquee (structure)|marquee]]<ref name="nyt-2014-11-25" /> and two works of art on its exterior.{{sfn|Adams|1985|pp=78–80}} The recessed entrance portal is filled with a {{cvt|79|by|14|ft|m|adj=on}} mosaic mural, ''Intelligence Awakening Mankind'' by [[Barry Faulkner]].<ref name="nyt-1932-07-13">{{Cite news |date=July 13, 1932 |title=Huge Glass Mosaic to Adorn RCA Unit; Symbolic Design by Faulkner Will Cover Walls of Loggia in Rockefeller Center |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/07/13/archives/huge-glass-mosaic-to-adorn-rca-unit-symbolic-design-by-faulkne-will.html |access-date=February 12, 2022}}</ref>{{sfn|Adams|1985|pp=78–79}}{{sfn|Roussel|2006|p=75}} The portal is topped by four {{cvt|11.5|by|4|ft|m|adj=on}} limestone panels by [[Gaston Lachaise]], each of which signifies an aspect of civilization as it related to the original Radio City complex.<ref name="nyt-1932-09-19">{{Cite news |date=September 19, 1932 |title=Lachaise Designs RCA Building Art; Four Sculptural Panels on 6th Av. Side to Express Spirit of Modern Inventive Progress |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/09/19/archives/lachaise-designs-rca-building-art-four-sculptural-panels-on-6th-av.html |access-date=February 12, 2022}}</ref>{{sfn|Adams|1985|pp=79–80}}{{sfn|Roussel|2006|p=77–78}} The two panels on either side of the entrance are entitled ''The Conquest of Space'' and ''Gifts of Earth to Mankind''; these respectively depict aspiration and life, two qualities that Lachaise believed were most important to humanity.<ref name="p1114731116">{{cite news |date=September 19, 1932 |title=RCA Building Panel Designs Half Completed |page=16 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1114731116}}}}</ref> The two panels in the center are known as ''Genius Seizing the Light of the Sun'' (also known as ''Invention Seizing the Light of the Sun''<ref name="nyt-1932-09-19" />) and ''The Spirit of Progress''.<ref name="p1114731116" /> The panels are placed at the third story because, at the time of the building's construction, they could be seen from the [[IRT Sixth Avenue Line|elevated rail line]] above Sixth Avenue.<ref name="nyt-2020-04-15">{{Cite news |last=Kimmelman |first=Michael |date=April 15, 2020 |title=Rockefeller Center's Art Deco Marvel: A Virtual Tour |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/arts/design/rockefeller-center-virtual-tour-virus.html |access-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225194011/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/arts/design/rockefeller-center-virtual-tour-virus.html |url-status=live }}</ref> === Interior <span class="anchor" id="Features"></span> === 30 Rockefeller Plaza was designed with about {{convert|2100000|ft2}} of rentable space in total.<ref name="p1529011229" /> The eastern tower contains the [[Rainbow Room]] restaurant on the 65th floor,<ref name="aia5" /> while the Rockefeller family office occupied the tower's 54th through 56th floors until 2014.<ref name="nyt-2014-11-24">{{cite web |last=Roberts |first=Sam |date=November 24, 2014 |title=Why Are Rockefellers Moving From 30 Rock? 'We Got a Deal' |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/24/nyregion/why-are-rockefellers-moving-from-30-rock-we-got-a-deal.html |access-date=November 16, 2017 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116082417/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/24/nyregion/why-are-rockefellers-moving-from-30-rock-we-got-a-deal.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The tower is the headquarters of [[NBC]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact Us |website=NBCUniversal |url=http://www.nbcuniversal.com/contact-us |access-date=November 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903185619/http://www.nbcuniversal.com/contact-us |archive-date=September 3, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and houses [[NBC Studios (New York City)|NBC Studios]], [[NBC News]], [[MSNBC]], and network flagship station [[WNBC]] and WNJU.<ref name="nyt-2014-11-24" /> 30 Rockefeller Plaza also contains offices for [[NBCUniversal Cable]]{{sfn|Alleman|2013|p=59}} and, until 1988, the [[NBC Radio Network]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Blau |first=Eleanor |date=October 8, 1988 |title=Radio City Without Radio: WNBC Is Gone |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/08/nyregion/radio-city-without-radio-wnbc-is-gone.html |access-date=March 12, 2022 |archive-date=March 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306001032/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/08/nyregion/radio-city-without-radio-wnbc-is-gone.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Part of NBC's space also extends into the central part of the building.<ref name="Reynolds p. 303" />{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=59}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=363}} The [[superstructure]] uses {{Convert|58500|ST|LT t}} of steel.<ref name="p1529011229" /><ref name="nyt-1933-01-01" /> To transport visitors to the top floors, [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]] installed eight express elevators in the RCA Building. They moved at an average speed of {{cvt|1200|ft/min|m/min}} and were so expensive that they constituted 13 percent of the building's entire construction cost.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=256}}<ref name="nyt-1933-07-14" /> One elevator reached a top speed of {{cvt|1400|ft/min|m/min}} and was dubbed "the fastest passenger elevator ride on record".<ref name="nyt-1933-07-14">{{cite news |date=July 14, 1933 |title=Elevator Speeds 1,400 Feet a Minute; Levy Whisked to 65th Floor of RCA Building in Record Time of 37.1 Seconds |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/1933/07/14/archives/elevator-speeds-1400-feet-a-minute-levy-whisked-to-65th-floor-of.html |access-date=December 7, 2017}}</ref> These elevators cost about $17,000 a year to maintain by 1942.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 26, 1942 |title=RCA Rainbow Room Success Under Native Utican |page=6 |work=[[Utica Observer]] |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewpapers%2520Disk2%2FUtica%2520NY%2520Daily%2520Observer%2FUtica%2520NY%2520Observer%25201942.pdf%2FUtica%2520NY%2520Observer%25201942%2520-%25201282.pdf |access-date=December 7, 2017 |via=[[Fultonhistory.com]]}}</ref> The mechanical core also contains emergency-exit staircases, though there are fewer staircases on upper floors. For example, building plans indicate that the 12th story has three sets of emergency staircases, while the 60th story has two sets of staircases.{{sfn|Architectural Forum|1933|p=278}} ==== Lobby ==== [[File:USA-NYC-Rockefeller Center Interior.jpg|thumb|The lobby's main section along Rockefeller Plaza]] The lobby's main entrance is from Rockefeller Plaza to the east, with revolving and double-leaf bronze-and-glass doors underneath a paneled bronze screen.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=15}} The doors are topped by a cast-glass wall designed by Lee Lawrie, which measures {{convert|15|ft}} high by {{convert|55|ft}} wide.{{sfn|Architectural Forum|1933|p=275}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=15}} The wall is made of 240 glass blocks.{{sfn|Robins|2017|p=116}}<ref name="NRHP-87002591" /> Each glass block measures {{convert|3|in}} deep and {{convert|19|by|29|in}} across.{{sfn|Architectural Forum|1933|p=275}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=15}} Opposite the main entrance doors is an information desk made of Champlain gray marble. Four large ivory-marble piers with embedded light fixtures support the ceiling immediately above.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=15}} The lobby continues north and south from the information desk. Stairways at either end lead up to the mezzanine, while stairs and escalators lead downstairs to the basement. Extending west from either end are two corridors, which flank five north–south elevator banks.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=25}} The elevator doors are made of bronze, and there are bronze and glass storefronts on the outer walls of these corridors.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=16}} The floor is made of brass-and-terrazzo mosaic.{{sfn|Architectural Forum|1933|p=276}} The walls of these corridors are paneled in Champlain marble below the height of the storefronts and elevator doors.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=15}}{{sfn|Architectural Forum|1933|p=276}} A bronze molding runs above the storefronts and elevators, while the walls are made of plaster above that height. The outer walls of the west–east corridors (adjacent to the mezzanines) contain bronze service doors, while the inner walls and the elevator-bank walls contain murals. The ceilings of the corridors are carried by rows of piers.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=15}} West of the elevator banks, two north–south corridors extend to side entrances on 49th and 50th Streets, which each contain two bronze sets of revolving doors.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=17}} The corridors continue west to the Sixth Avenue entrance.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=650}} Just west of the elevators, a staircase leads down to the basement and up to the NBC lobby.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=650}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=17}} The stair to the basement contains Champlain marble and ivory marble, while the stair to the mezzanine contains Champlain marble and bronze railings and moldings. Additional stairs to the basement and mezzanine are placed at the point where the corridors continue into 1250 Avenue of the Americas; they also contain Champlain marble and bronze railings and moldings.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=650}} ===== Lobby art ===== [[File:30RockefellerPlazaNorthMezzanineLookingWest.jpg|thumb|Lobby mezzanine]] [[Josep Maria Sert]] was originally hired to paint four murals in the northern lobby corridor: ''Time''; ''Spirit of Dance''; ''Man's Triumph in Communication''; ''Conquest of Disease''; ''Abolition of Bondage''; ''Fraternity of Men''; and ''Contest-1940'', depicting different aspects of the world and mankind.{{sfn|Roussel|2006|pp=60–69}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|pp=15–16}} [[Frank Brangwyn]] painted four murals on the southern corridor, all of which symbolize humans' relationship with spirituality; he complemented these murals with stencils of the themes that were represented.{{sfn|Roussel|2006|p=71}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=16}} Rockefeller Center's managers had asked Brangwyn to omit a depiction of Jesus Christ from one of the panels;<ref name="nyt-1933-09-15">{{Cite news |date=September 15, 1933 |title=RCA Building Bars Jesus From Mural; Brangwyn, British Artist, Now Finds Difficulty in Finishing Sermon on Mount Work. |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/09/15/archives/rca-building-bars-jesus-from-mural-brangwyn-british-artist-now.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213170253/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/09/15/archives/rca-building-bars-jesus-from-mural-brangwyn-british-artist-now.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 23, 1933 |title=Art: Symbolization of Christ Causes Misunderstanding |volume=2 |issue=8 |pages=33–34 |id={{ProQuest|1796833221}}|magazine=Newsweek}}</ref> the artist ultimately depicted Jesus with his back turned.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 5, 1933 |title=Mural of Christ Hung in Radio City; Figure With Back Turned Is Said to Be Brangwyn's Original Conception |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/12/05/archives/mural-of-christ-hung-in-radio-city-figure-with-back-turned-is-said.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213170250/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/12/05/archives/mural-of-christ-hung-in-radio-city-figure-with-back-turned-is-said.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Brangwyn's and Sert's corridor murals measure {{convert|17|by|25|ft}} each.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 11, 1933 |title=Rockefeller Center Murals Show Man's Triumphs |page=F7 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1114643367}}}}</ref> Architectural writer [[Robert A. M. Stern]] described Brangwyn's murals as "insipid", a quality worsened by the fact that the themes were stenciled onto the murals. By contrast, Stern said: "Sert at least allowed the meaning of his paintings to fall into happy obscurity."{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=652}} After the building had opened, Sert was commissioned to paint the mural ''American Progress'' at the center of the lobby,{{sfn|Robins|2017|p=116}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=319–320}}{{sfn|Marshall|2005|p=123}} measuring {{convert|50|by|17|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 23, 1932 |title=Describes 9 Murals for RCA Building; R.M. Hood, Architect, Home on the Rex After Conferring With Painters in Europe |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/12/23/archives/describes-9-murals-for-rca-building-rm-hood-architect-home-on-the.html |access-date=February 12, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213004829/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/12/23/archives/describes-9-murals-for-rca-building-rm-hood-architect-home-on-the.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The mural was installed in 1937.<ref name="nyt-1937-12-21">{{Cite news |date=December 21, 1937 |title=Sert Mural Placed in the RCA Building; Filling of Space That Once Had Disputed Rivera Work Ends Long Controversy |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/21/archives/sert-mural-placed-in-the-rca-building-filling-of-space-that-once.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213175852/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/21/archives/sert-mural-placed-in-the-rca-building-filling-of-space-that-once.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1223337099">{{cite news |date=December 21, 1937 |title=Sert Replaces Rivera Work at RCA Building: Spaniard Executes Mural for Panel Job Abandoned in Row Over Lenin's Head Is Opposite Main Door Sepia Monochrome Is Like His 4 Adjacent Paintings |page=19 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1223337099}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-2009-07-26">{{Cite news |last=Vogel |first=Carol |date=July 26, 2009 |title=Stripping Away the Darkness as Murals Are Reborn |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/arts/design/27rockefeller.html |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311190916/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/arts/design/27rockefeller.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It depicts a vast allegorical scene of men constructing modern America and contains figures of [[Abraham Lincoln]], [[Mahatma Gandhi]], and [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]].{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=319–320}}{{sfn|Roussel|2006|p=58}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=15}} The space occupied by ''American Progress'' was originally taken up by [[Diego Rivera]]'s ''[[Man at the Crossroads]]'' mural,{{sfn|Robins|2017|p=116}}{{sfn|Marshall|2005|p=123}}{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=181}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=302}} which was controversial because of its communist imagery and was destroyed in 1934.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=315}}<ref name="nyt-1934-02-13">{{cite news |date=February 13, 1934 |title=Rivera RCA Mural is Cut From Wall; Rockefeller Center Destroys Lenin Painting at Night and Replasters Space |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/02/13/93750328.pdf |access-date=November 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223404/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/02/13/93750328.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Rockefeller officials commissioned a sixth mural from Sert, representing the past, present, and future, which they installed in the lobby in 1941.<ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p." /><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 22, 1941 |title=Uncover RCA Murals; Sixth Sert Work in Rockefeller Center Building Is Ready |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/03/22/archives/uncover-rca-murals-sixth-sert-work-in-rockefeller-center-building.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215004831/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/03/22/archives/uncover-rca-murals-sixth-sert-work-in-rockefeller-center-building.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The mural measures {{convert|100|by|50|ft}} and is installed on the ceiling.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=15}}<ref name="nyt-1941-01-17">{{Cite news |date=January 17, 1941 |title=RCA Building Lobby Undergoes Changes; Redecoration and Lighting Plan Includes New Sert Mural |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/01/17/archives/rca-building-lobby-undergoes-changes-redecoration-and-lighting-plan.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214011256/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/01/17/archives/rca-building-lobby-undergoes-changes-redecoration-and-lighting-plan.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ===== Concourse and mezzanine ===== Below the lobby is the complex's shopping concourse,{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=177}}<ref>{{cite news |title=The Robot City Nobody Sees |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=June 18, 1944 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1944/06/18/85158745.pdf |access-date=November 27, 2017 |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223402/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1944/06/18/85158745.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref> connected to the lobby via escalators.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|p=15}} The building has a direct entrance to the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center station]] via the concourse.<ref>{{Cite NYC neighborhood map|Midtown West}}</ref> Until 1950, the building's concourse had also contained Rockefeller Center's post office.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 5, 1950 |title=Post Office to Move; Rockefeller Center Branch to Go to 610 Fifth Ave. Soon |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/09/05/archives/post-office-to-move-rockefeller-center-branch-to-go-to-610-fifth.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214152628/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/09/05/archives/post-office-to-move-rockefeller-center-branch-to-go-to-610-fifth.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The mezzanine contains balconies overlooking the lobby. The floors of the mezzanine are black terrazzo, while the walls are made of marble and plaster separated by a bronze molding. Offices from the outer walls open onto the mezzanine balconies. There are staircases from the lobby to both the concourse and mezzanine, west of the lobby's elevator banks.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985|pp=16–17}} When the building opened, it contained a rotunda at the mezzanine level, measuring {{Convert|67|ft}} across with a photomural surrounding it. The mural was taken apart in the 1950s and the rotunda itself was demolished in the 1970s.<ref name="nyt-2014-06-25">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=June 25, 2014 |title=At 30 Rock, Recreating Rotunda With a Nod to the Past |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/26/nyregion/at-30-rock-recreating-a-rotunda-with-a-nod-to-the-past.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213022901/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/26/nyregion/at-30-rock-recreating-a-rotunda-with-a-nod-to-the-past.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A new rotunda was constructed from 2014 to 2015, accessed from the ground floor by a {{convert|16|ft|m|-wide|adj=mid}} staircase; the rotunda contains two LED displays, each measuring {{convert|60|ft|m}} wide and {{convert|5|ft|m}} tall.<ref name="nyt-2014-06-25" /><ref>{{cite web |date=September 18, 2018 |title=Lobby Digital Displays – NBC 30 Rockefeller Plaza |url=https://onediversified.com/portfolio-item/lobby-digital-displays/ |access-date=February 13, 2022 |website=Diversified |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213022903/https://onediversified.com/portfolio-item/lobby-digital-displays/ |url-status=live }}</ref> From 1960 to October 1993, the building's mezzanine level housed the New York City weather forecast office of the National Weather Service.<ref>{{cite web |title=New York, NY – History |website=National Weather Service |url=http://www.weather.gov/okx/history |access-date=May 9, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512045627/http://www.weather.gov/okx/history |archive-date=May 12, 2015}}</ref> The mezzanine level also contained a control room, from which all of Rockefeller Center's mechanical systems could be monitored.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Berger |first=Meyer |date=June 18, 1944 |title=The Robot City Nobody Sees; It lies deep below Rockefeller Center and there many machines work for men |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/06/18/archives/the-robot-city-nobody-sees-it-lies-deep-below-rockefeller-center.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214142837/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/06/18/archives/the-robot-city-nobody-sees-it-lies-deep-below-rockefeller-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ==== NBC Studios and headquarters ==== [[File:Rainbow Room.jpg|thumb|alt=Marquee at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, displaying the names of the Rainbow Room and NBC Studios|A sign for the [[Rainbow Room]] tops the NBC Studios [[marquee (structure)|marquee]]]] {{Main|NBC Studios (New York City)}} When the building was constructed, RCA's chief engineer [[O. B. Hanson]] was faced with designing an area of the building that was large enough to host 35 studios with as few structural columns as possible. As such, the studios were all placed in the windowless center section of the building, which would have otherwise been used as an unprofitable office space.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=59}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=363}} The central part of the building could also use fewer columns, which was suitable for large broadcast studios but not for the bases of skyscrapers.<ref name="Reynolds p. 303" /> Over {{cvt|1500|mi|km}} of utility wires stretched through this part of the building, which was powered by [[direct current]].{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=363}} Two floors were reserved for future TV studios, and five more stories were reserved for audience members and guests.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=363}} The floor, wall, and ceiling surfaces of the studios were suspended from the superstructure, insulating the studios.<ref name="NRHP-87002591" /> In addition, there were double- and triple-height spaces for exhibitions, plays, and other events.<ref name="Reynolds p. 303" /> NBC, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], and [[CBS]] (collectively the [[Big Three TV Networks]]) had offices on Sixth Avenue and studios in Midtown during the mid-20th century.<ref name="nyt-1986-08-02">{{Cite news |last=Morgan |first=Tom |date=August 2, 1986 |title=Networks' Moves Mark the End of Broadcast Row |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/02/arts/netwroks-moves-mark-the-end-of-broadcast-row.html |access-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310211349/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/02/arts/netwroks-moves-mark-the-end-of-broadcast-row.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The first television shows at the NBC Studios were broadcast from studio 3H in 1935, and more TV studios were added after World War II as television gained popularity.{{sfn|Alleman|2013|p=59}} During the RCA Building's early years, NBC housed both the [[Red Network]] and the [[Blue Network]] (later [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]) there,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sterling |first1=C.H. |last2=O'Dell |first2=C. |year=2010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dmmLAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA639 |title=The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=978-1-135-17684-6 |page=639 |access-date=December 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724192752/https://books.google.com/books?id=dmmLAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA639 |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[WJZ-TV (New York City)|WJZ-TV]] (later [[WABC-TV]]) and WJZ Radio (later [[WABC (AM)|WABC]]), as well as the headquarters of the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] network, were also headquartered there for the first few years until ABC built their own facilities.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 8, 1951 |title=30 Eventful Years |volume=41 |issue=15 |pages=105 |id={{ProQuest|1401195186}}|magazine=Broadcasting, Telecasting}}</ref> When the building opened, it also hosted daily tours of the NBC Studios;<ref name="nyt-1977-08-29">{{Cite news |date=August 29, 1977 |title=NBC's Guided Tour of Old Studios To Lapse Into Nostalgia Sunday |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/29/archives/nbcs-guided-tour-of-old-studios-to-lapse-into-nostalgia-sunday.html |access-date=February 25, 2022}}</ref>{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=365}} the tours were canceled in 1977 due to declining attendance.<ref name="nyt-1977-08-29" /> NBC was the only one of the Big Three that retained studios in Midtown by the mid-1980s.<ref name="nyt-1986-08-02" /> [[Studio 8H]], which hosts ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'',<ref>{{cite web |date=September 10, 2020 |title='Saturday Night Live' to return to Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/saturday-night-live-return-studio-8h-rockefeller-center-t191397 |access-date=February 25, 2022 |website=TODAY.com |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225193848/https://www.today.com/popculture/saturday-night-live-return-studio-8h-rockefeller-center-t191397 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Itzkoff |first=Dave |date=September 10, 2020 |title='Saturday Night Live' to Return Oct. 3 With New Live Episodes |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/10/arts/television/saturday-night-live-returns.html |access-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225194009/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/10/arts/television/saturday-night-live-returns.html |url-status=live }}</ref> is the largest of the studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, with a capacity of 1,200<ref name="nyt-1980-01-08">{{Cite news |last=Hughes |first=Allen |date=January 8, 1980 |title=Aura of Toscanini to Fill His Studio 8H Tonight; Converted for Television |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/01/08/archives/aura-of-toscanini-to-fill-his-studio-8h-tonight-converted-for.html |access-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225194011/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/01/08/archives/aura-of-toscanini-to-fill-his-studio-8h-tonight-converted-for.html |url-status=live }}</ref> or 1,400 guests.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|pp=363–364}} Studio 8H was once the largest radio studio in the world and was originally home to the [[NBC Symphony Orchestra]]<ref>{{cite episode |title=Aldo Gisalbert |url=http://www.goldenage-wtic.org/gaor-30.html |series=The Golden Age of Radio |last1=Bertel |first1=Dick |last2=Corcoran |first2=Ed |network=Broadcast Plaza, Inc. |station=WTIC Hartford, Conn. |airdate=September 1972 |season=3 |number=6 |access-date=April 28, 2016 |archive-date=April 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401061538/http://goldenage-wtic.org/gaor-30.html |url-status=live}}</ref> before being converted into a television studio in 1950.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 11, 1950 |title=Room for Television |page=34 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1327419390}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1980-01-08" /> Another major studio at 30 Rockefeller Plaza is Studio 6B, which hosted ''[[Texaco Star Theater]]'', the first popular comedy-variety show on television.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lovece |first=Frank |date=June 3, 1994 |title=As the Toyota Comedy Festival gets under way, we tour New York's most famous comedy landmarks |pages=105 |work=Newsday |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96400124/as-the-toyota-comedy-festival-gets/ |access-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225152834/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96400124/as-the-toyota-comedy-festival-gets/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' was also broadcast from Studio 6B until 1972, returning there in 2014 under the name ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon]]''.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 31, 2014 |title=Watch 'Tonight Show' studio's makeover in 60 seconds |url=http://www.today.com/popculture/watch-tonight-show-studios-makeover-60-seconds-2D79455470 |access-date=February 25, 2022 |website=TODAY.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Bill |date=February 16, 2014 |title='Tonight' Show Returns to New York After Nearly 42 Years |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/17/business/media/tonight-show-returns-to-new-york-after-nearly-42-years.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220112847/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/17/business/media/tonight-show-returns-to-new-york-after-nearly-42-years.html |archive-date=February 20, 2014}}</ref> ''Tonight''{{'}}s companion program, ''[[Late Night (NBC)|Late Night]]'' (branded ''[[Late Night with Seth Meyers]]'' {{as of|2014|lc=y|alt=since 2014}}) is also taped in the building's Studio 8G.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=White |first1=Peter |date=August 18, 2020 |title='Late Night With Seth Meyers' To Return To Studio On September 8 |website=Deadline |url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/late-night-with-seth-meyers-studio-september-8-1203016278/ |access-date=January 25, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117090628/https://deadline.com/2020/08/late-night-with-seth-meyers-studio-september-8-1203016278/ |archive-date=November 17, 2020}}</ref> The ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today Show]]'' was also broadcast from 30 Rockefeller Plaza until 1994, when it moved to 10 Rockefeller Plaza.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 8, 1993 |title=NBC Will Return 'Today' To Street-Level Studio |page= |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|398398868}}}}</ref> ==== Rockefeller family offices ==== The Rockefeller family's office, Room 5600, occupied the entire 56th floor.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=259}} The family's [[Rockefeller Foundation]] rented the entire floor below, and two other organizations supported by the Rockefellers also moved into the building.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=259}}<ref>{{cite news |date=March 27, 1933 |title=Philanthropies Rent RCA Building Space; Three Organizations Supported by Rockefeller Will Move Headquarters on May 1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/03/27/99301679.pdf |access-date=November 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223356/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/03/27/99301679.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Daniel Okrent]], author of the book ''[[Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center]]'', said the Rockefellers' offices resembled an "18th-century English baronial mansion".<ref name="nyt-2020-04-15" /> The space was decorated with art by [[Paul Gauguin]], [[Piet Mondrian]], [[Paul Signac]], and [[Joan Miró]].<ref name="Makarechi 2014">{{cite magazine |last=Makarechi |first=Kia |date=November 24, 2014 |title=Rockefeller Family Leaving 30 Rockefeller Center for the First Time |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/business/2014/11/rockefeller-family-leaving-30-rockefeller-center |access-date=March 11, 2022 |magazine=Vanity Fair |archive-date=September 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918084825/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/business/2014/11/rockefeller-family-leaving-30-rockefeller-center |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1937, there were 392 employees of Room 5600. After World War II, Room 5600 comprised the entire 54th through 56th floors.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=386}} The family offices became a hub for the family's political activity, with ties to both the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] parties at the city, state, and national levels.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=388}} Visitors to Room 5600 have included [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Shirley MacLaine]], [[Nelson Mandela]], [[Richard Gere]], and [[Bono]].<ref name="nyt-2014-11-24" /> Even in the late 1980s, when Room 5600 had downsized to 175 people, it still managed $900 million of Rockefeller family wealth.<ref>{{cite web |last=Warren |first=James |date=July 23, 1986 |title=Fortune Takes an Impressive Look Into Pockets of the Rockefellers |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-07-23-8602230029-story.html |access-date=March 11, 2022 |website=Chicago Tribune |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311190916/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-07-23-8602230029-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The family moved out during 2014.<ref name="nyt-2014-11-24" /><ref name="Makarechi 2014" /> ==== Rainbow Room ==== {{Main|Rainbow Room}} [[File:Rainbow room.jpg|thumb|Rainbow Room restaurant]] The 65th floor of the building is an event room and restaurant named the [[Rainbow Room]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.zagat.com/r/rainbow-room-new-york |title=Rainbow Room – New York |website=zagat.com |access-date=January 26, 2015 |archive-date=October 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018174729/http://www.zagat.com/r/rainbow-room-new-york |url-status=live}}</ref> The space was designed by [[Wallace K. Harrison]] of Associated Architects.{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=24}} Interior designer [[Elena Bachman Schmidt]], a one-time apprentice of [[Elsie de Wolfe]], contributed to the design of the interior decor, such as the furniture, curtains, and elevator doors. [[Vincente Minnelli]] was assigned to help Schmidt select the colors of the walls.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=368}}{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=7}} The restaurant opened in 1934,{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=8}}<ref name="p1032058796">{{cite magazine |date=October 13, 1934 |title=Night Spots-Gardens: Rockefeller Night Spot in RCA Building Makes a Lavish Debut |volume=46 |issue=41 |pages=12 |id={{ProQuest|1032058796}}|magazine=The Billboard}}</ref> and was the highest restaurant in the United States for decades, though it was closed during much of the 1940s.{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=9}} The most recent version of the restaurant opened in 2014 after a restoration by Gabellini Sheppard Associates.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fabricant |first=Florence |date=October 1, 2014 |title=A New York Classic Returns |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/dining/rainbow-room-is-set-to-reopen-on-oct-5.html |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=February 14, 2017 |archive-date=October 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007010121/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/dining/rainbow-room-is-set-to-reopen-on-oct-5.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The Rainbow Room occupies the eastern part of 30 Rockefeller Plaza's 65th floor, which covers {{convert|13500|ft2|m2}}.<ref>{{cite web |date=2017 |title=30 Rockefeller Plaza: 65th Floor, Rainbow Room, SixtyFive |url=https://www.aia.org/showcases/26101-30-rockefeller-plaza-65th-floor-rainbow-room |access-date=February 9, 2018 |publisher=[[American Institute of Architects]] |archive-date=February 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210062251/https://www.aia.org/showcases/26101-30-rockefeller-plaza-65th-floor-rainbow-room |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="rr201606">{{Cite AV media |url=https://rainbowroom.com/content/uploads/2016/06/RainbowRoom_VenuePage_FloorPlan_05.25.16.pdf |title=Floor Plan |date=June 2016 |last=Rainbow Room |type=image |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=December 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211213529/https://rainbowroom.com/content/uploads/2016/06/RainbowRoom_VenuePage_FloorPlan_05.25.16.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=15}} The central part of the floor has elevator banks, restrooms, a [[Long gallery|gallery]], and a private dining room. The western part houses Bar SixtyFive and an outdoor terrace.<ref name="rr201606" /> The dining room itself is a {{Convert|4464|sqft|m2|adj=on}} space.<ref name="rr201606" />{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=5}} The restaurant has a {{convert|32|ft|m|-wide|adj=mid}} rotating dance floor.{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=6}}<ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 8, 1934 |title=Music: Parisienne |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,769979,00.html |magazine=Time |access-date=December 9, 2017 |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115184558/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,769979,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The seats of the Rainbow Room are organized in tiers,{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=6}} and there is also a platform for bands and a shallow balcony for entertainers.<ref name="rr201606" />{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=6}} There are stairs and a [[dumbwaiter]] behind the platform,{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=6}} as well as several banquet rooms on the 64th floor.{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=3}} Above the dance floor hang several concentric "rings" that recess into the ceiling.{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=6}} === Roofs === ==== Garden of the Nations ==== The roof of the building's central section contained a {{cvt|0.75|acre|ha|adj=on}} "Garden of the Nations" (alternatively "Gardens of the Nations"{{sfn|Marshall|2005|p=125}}), which opened in April 1935 on the 11th floor.<ref name="NYPost-Gardens-1935">{{Cite news |date=April 16, 1935 |title=Babylon Outdone by RCA's Gardens |page=7 |work=New York Post |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252011%2FNew%2520York%2520Evening%2520Post%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Evening%2520Post%25201935%2520Grayscale%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Evening%2520Post%25201935%2520Grayscale%2520-%25202418.pdf% |access-date=November 20, 2017 |via=[[Fultonhistory.com]]}}</ref>{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=61}}{{sfn|Balfour|1978|pp=125–137}} The garden used {{convert|3,000|ST|LT}} of soil; {{convert|100|ST|LT}} of rock from as far as England; 100,000 bricks; 2,000 trees and shrubs; 4,000 small plants; and 20,000 [[Ornamental bulbous plant|bulbs]] for flowers.<ref name="ATU-Hanging-Gardens-19342">{{cite news |date=1934 |title=New York's "Hanging Gardens" |work=Albany Times-Union |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252018%2FAlbany%2520NY%2520Times%2520Union%2FAlbany%2520NY%2520Times%2520Union%25201934%2FAlbany%2520NY%2520Times%2520Union%25201934%2520a%2520-%25201291.pdf |access-date=November 20, 2017}}</ref> Originally, the garden included thirteen nation-specific gardens, whose layouts were inspired by gardens in the respective countries they represented. Each of the different gardens were separated by barriers.<ref name="NYPost-Gardens-1935" /> The "International Garden", a [[rock garden]] in the center of the themed gardens,<ref name="nyt-1934-09-02">{{cite news |date=September 2, 1934 |title=Gardens of the World Atop Radio City; New York Watches the Growth of a New Venture in the Realm of Horticulture |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/09/02/93765284.pdf |access-date=November 20, 2017 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163401/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/09/02/93765284.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref> featured a meandering stream and 2,000 plant varieties.{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=53}} The Garden of the Nations also contained a children's garden, a modern-style garden, and a shrub-and-vegetable patch.{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=52}} The garden was staffed by hostesses who wore costumes, and the plantings lit up at night.<ref name=nyt-1982-12-16>{{Cite news |last=Deitz |first=Paula |date=December 16, 1982 |title=Design Notebook |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/16/garden/design-notebook.html |access-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313220047/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/16/garden/design-notebook.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Ralph Hancock (landscape gardener)|Ralph Hancock]] and Raymond Hood designed the rooftop garden,{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=647}}<ref name="ATU-Hanging-Gardens-19342" /><ref name="nyt-1934-09-02" /> one of several in the complex.<ref name="Reynolds pp. 301-302">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|pp=301–302}}</ref> Upon opening, the Garden of the Nations attracted many visitors because of its collection of exotic flora,{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=91}} and it became the most popular garden in Rockefeller Center.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=355}} In its heyday, the Center charged admission fees for the Garden of the Nations.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=647}}{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=186}} However, the nation-themed gardens were demolished by 1938,{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=647}}<ref name=nyt-1982-12-16/> and the rock garden was left to dry up, supplanted by flower beds that were not open to the public.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=186}} In 1936, the central roof temporarily housed a prototype of an apartment, which was used to advertise the [[Rockefeller Apartments]] between 54th and 55th Streets.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=67}}<ref>{{cite news |date=March 27, 1936 |title=Rockefeller Suites Provide Recreation; Excavations Finished and Steel Work Will Start at Once on Apartments |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/03/27/87927268.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=November 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223404/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/03/27/87927268.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=December 5, 2021}}</ref> ==== Primary roof ==== [[File:TopOfTheRock2019ThirdObservationDeckRadome.jpg|thumb|Weather radar radome visible on the roof|alt=The roof's weather radar radome, a spherical device with antennas]] From 1937 onward, the roof of the eastern tower contained neon letters spelling "RCA".<ref>{{cite news |date=June 29, 1937 |title=Loftiest Sign Is Lighted; Whalen Turns on RCA's 24-Foot Letters Over Rockefeller Plaza |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1937/06/29/118978956.pdf |access-date=November 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223402/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1937/06/29/118978956.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> The letters each measured {{convert|22|ft}} wide by {{convert|24|ft}} tall;<ref name="nyt-1973-12-16">{{Cite news |date=December 16, 1973 |title=RCA Sign to Be Put Out |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/16/archives/rca-sign-to-be-put-out.html |access-date=February 21, 2022 |archive-date=February 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221054728/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/16/archives/rca-sign-to-be-put-out.html |url-status=live }}</ref> at the time of the building's completion, the letters were the world's highest neon signs.<ref name="nyt-2014-06-13" /> These were replaced by "GE" letters in 1988.<ref name="wsj-1988-07-15" /><ref name="nyt-1988-07-14" /> The letters were replaced again with the new united Comcast/NBC logo, rendered in longer-lasting [[LED lamp#Outdoor lighting|LED lighting]].<ref name="nyt-2014-11-24" /> The new signs consist of a {{cvt|10|ft|m|adj=on}} tall Comcast wordmark and [[NBC logo]] on the northern and southern elevations, as well as a {{cvt|17|ft|m|adj=on}} NBC logo on the building's western elevation.<ref name="Curbed2014" /> In 1960, a {{convert|12|ft|m|-wide|adj=mid}}, {{convert|400|lb|adj=on}} [[weather radar]] dish for the [[National Weather Service]] was installed atop the roof when the building became the NWS's headquarters.<ref name="nyt-1960-06-14">{{Cite news |date=June 14, 1960 |title=Radar for Weather Hoisted 70 Floors To R.C.A. Tower |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/06/14/archives/radar-for-weather-hoisted-70-floors-to-rca-tower.html |access-date=February 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Loory |first=Stuart H. |date=August 21, 1960 |title=Weather Radar's Radius 250 Miles: 12-Foot Dish Antenna Installed 69 Stories Up on RCA Building |page=A4 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1324118135}}}}</ref> [[KWO35]], the [[NOAA Weather Radio]] station serving the majority of the [[New York metropolitan area|Tri-State area]], transmitted from atop the building and remained there until 2014. Due to interference with a [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] radio channel, the transmitter was eventually relocated atop the [[MetLife Building]].<ref>{{cite web |title=IEM :: PNS from NWS OKX |url=http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=PNSOKX&e=201402212204 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228214124/http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=PNSOKX&e=201402212204 |archive-date=February 28, 2014 |access-date=April 8, 2014 |website=National Weather Service}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gay |first=Mara |date=March 2, 2014 |title=National Weather Alerts Bleed Into Coast Guard Radio Channel |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304026804579411362657098646 |access-date=March 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314023404/http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304026804579411362657098646 |archive-date=March 14, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The weather radar station was used as ''Doppler 4000'' during [[WNBC-TV]]'s local newscasts.<ref>{{cite web |title=New York, NY – Tour: NWS of the Past |url=http://www.weather.gov/okx/Tour_NWS_of_the_Past |access-date=June 25, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626160638/http://www.weather.gov/okx/Tour_NWS_of_the_Past |archive-date=June 26, 2015 |website=National Weather Service}}</ref> It was operational until February 1, 2017, when StormTracker 4, an [[S-band]] weather radar at [[Rutgers University|Rutgers University's Cook Campus]], started operating.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 1, 2017 |title=NYC NBC debuts new radar, taunts other stations in promo |url=https://www.newscaststudio.com/2017/02/01/nbc-new-york-storm-tracker-radar/?og=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129184014/https://www.newscaststudio.com/2017/02/01/nbc-new-york-storm-tracker-radar/?og=1 |archive-date=January 29, 2021 |access-date=January 25, 2021 |website=NewscastStudio}}</ref> ==== <span class="anchor" id="Top of the Rock"></span>Observation deck ==== Top of the Rock, the 70th-story [[observation deck]] atop the skyscraper, opened in 1933 and is {{Convert|850|ft}} above street level.<ref name="Reynolds pp. 301-302" /><ref name="nyt-1933-07-19" /><ref name="n97397273">{{Cite news |last=Sanger |first=Elizabeth |date=May 5, 2005 |title='Top of the Rock' to Open |pages=52 |work=Newsday |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97397273/top-of-the-rock-to-openelizabeth/ |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311190916/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97397273/top-of-the-rock-to-openelizabeth/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to the deck, the attraction includes a triple-story [[observatory]] on the 67th to 69th floors.<ref name="n97397273" /> Top of the Rock competes with the 86th-floor observation deck of the [[Empire State Building]] 200 feet (61 m) higher, as well as a distant view of the Empire State Building.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bug.co.uk/blog/2010/02/05/empire-state-building-vs-top-of-the-rock/ |title=Empire State Building vs Top of the Rock |website=bug.co.uk |date=February 5, 2010 |access-date=July 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705125745/http://www.bug.co.uk/blog/2010/02/05/empire-state-building-vs-top-of-the-rock/ |archive-date=July 5, 2011}}</ref> Top of the Rock is accessed from its own entrance on 50th Street, where two elevators (converted from freight elevator shafts) ascend to the 67th floor.<ref name="nyt-2005-03-11" /> The shafts are illuminated, while the elevator cabs contain ceiling panels with historical photographs.<ref name="n97397273" /> There is a double-height indoor observatory on the 67th floor, where escalators lead to the 69th floor. A {{convert|8.5|ft|m|-tall|adj=mid}} parapet of frameless safety glass runs around the perimeter of the deck; it dates to the 2005 renovation.<ref name="nyt-2005-03-11">{{cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=March 11, 2005 |title=An Old View Is New Again, 70 Stories Up |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/11/nyregion/an-old-view-is-new-again-70-stories-up.html |access-date=December 7, 2017}}</ref> The deck originally had dimensions of {{convert|190|by|21|ft}}<ref name="nyt-1933-07-19" /> and was decorated in the style of an ocean liner, with furnishings such as slatted chairs.<ref name="n97397273" /> The observation deck was closed in 1986 because a renovation of the Rainbow Room had cut off the deck's only access point.<ref name="nyt-1986-06-18">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=June 18, 1986 |title=A Quiet Place at RCA's Summit Drifts Onto the Pages of the Past |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/18/nyregion/a-quiet-place-at-rca-s-summit-drifts-onto-the-pages-of-the-past.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=December 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208003741/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/18/nyregion/a-quiet-place-at-rca-s-summit-drifts-onto-the-pages-of-the-past.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The observation deck has been known since 2005 as Top of the Rock, when it reopened after a renovation by [[Michael Gabellini|Gabellini Sheppard Associates]].<ref name="nyt-2005-03-11" /> The original limestone and cast aluminum architectural details were conserved.<ref name="Merkel 2006">{{cite magazine |last=Merkel |first=Jayne |date=June 2006 |title=Top of the rock observatory |magazine=Architectural Design |volume=76 |issue=3 |pages=110–117 |doi=10.1002/ad.276}}</ref> In 2011, the observation deck had 2.5 million visitors a year and grossed $25 million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |date=December 25, 2011 |title=Nice View, and the Profits Surpass All Horizons |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/nyregion/empire-state-building-observation-decks-generate-startling-profits.html |access-date=February 14, 2022}}</ref> On the 69th story is the Beam, a ride themed to the photograph ''[[Lunch Atop a Skyscraper]]''.<ref name="Rahmanan 2023 o001" /><ref name="Team 2023 z402" /> The ride faces [[Billionaires' Row]] to the north; it can fit seven riders,<ref name="nyt-2024-07-26">{{Cite news |last=Barron |first=James |date=2024-07-26 |title=A Ride at the Top of Manhattan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/26/nyregion/a-ride-at-the-top-of-manhattan.html |access-date=2024-07-26 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and it rotates {{Convert|12|ft}} above the 69th-story terrace.<ref name="Rahmanan 2023 o001">{{cite web |last=Rahmanan |first=Anna |date=December 1, 2023 |title=Recreate this historical photo on top of Rockefeller Center right now |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/recreate-this-historical-photo-on-top-of-rockefeller-center-right-now-120123 |access-date=December 4, 2023 |website=Time Out New York |archive-date=December 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203053742/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/recreate-this-historical-photo-on-top-of-rockefeller-center-right-now-120123 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Team 2023 z402">{{cite web |date=December 1, 2023 |title="The Beam" at Rockefeller Center lets visitors recreate iconic New York City photo |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/the-beam-rockefeller-center-new-york-city-construction-workers-lunch-photo/ |access-date=December 4, 2023 |website=CBS New York}}</ref> {{As of|2024}}, the 70th story includes a rotating "skylift" ride,<ref name="Rahmanan s650">{{cite web |last=Rahmanan |first=Anna |date=September 26, 2024 |title=This new ride at the Top of the Rock will take you 900 feet above Manhattan |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/this-new-ride-at-the-top-of-the-rock-will-take-you-900-feet-above-manhattan-092624 |access-date=September 26, 2024 |website=Time Out New York}}</ref><ref name="Ginsburg y046">{{cite web |last=Ginsburg |first=Aaron |date=September 25, 2024 |title=30 Rock's new 'Skylift' platform takes visitors 900 feet above NYC |url=https://www.6sqft.com/30-rocks-new-skylight-platform-takes-visitors-900-feet-above-nyc/ |access-date=September 26, 2024 |website=6sqft}}</ref> as well as spherical rooftop beacon and floor tiles with a celestial pattern.<ref name="The Architect's Newspaper 2022">{{cite web |date=April 29, 2022 |title=Top of the Rock "skylift" attraction gets green light from Landmarks |url=https://origin.archpaper.com/2022/04/top-of-the-rock-skylift-attraction-gets-green-light-from-landmarks-preservation-commission/ |access-date=June 11, 2022 |website=The Architect's Newspaper}}</ref><ref name="designboom architecture & design magazine 2022">{{cite web |date=May 4, 2022 |title=a new 'skylift' rooftop attraction is coming to NYC's top of the rock |url=https://www.designboom.com/architecture/new-skylift-rooftop-attraction-nyc-top-of-the-rock-05-04-2022/ |access-date=June 11, 2022 |website=Designboom}}</ref><!-- Because of the building's iconic status, it and other Midtown towers are popular locations for [[suicide attempt]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gross |first1=Charles |last2=Piper |first2=Tinka Markham |last3=Bucciarelli |first3=Angela |last4=Tardiff |first4=Kenneth |last5=Vlahov |first5=David |last6=Galea |first6=Sandro |date=November 2007 |title=Suicide Tourism in Manhattan, New York City, 1990–2004 |work=Journal of Urban Health |volume=84 |issue=6 |pages=755–765 |doi=10.1007/s11524-007-9224-0 |issn=1099-3460 |pmc=2232032 |pmid=17885807}}</ref> The first instance of someone jumping to their death from the observation deck occurred in 1941, when a salesman fell several stories from the observation deck.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 4, 1941 |title=Merchant Ends Life by 11-story Plunge; Samuel Cooperman Leaps From Tower of RCA Building |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/01/04/archives/merchant-ends-life-by-11story-plunge-samuel-cooperman-leaps-from.html |access-date=February 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|1320037408}} |title=Plunges Off RCA's 70th Floor To Death on 59th-Story Setback |date=January 4, 1941 |page=13 |work=New York Herald Tribune}}</ref> --> {{wide image|Panorama di New York - Central Park - dal Rockfeller.jpg|1000px|Panoramic view looking north from the Top of the Rock during the daytime, in 2011}} {{wide image|NYC Top of the Rock Pano.jpg|1000px|Panoramic view looking south from the Top of the Rock at sunset, in 2005}} {{clear}} == History == === Development === ==== Planning ==== [[File:Rockefeller Center, December 1933.jpg|thumb|right|The [[construction of Rockefeller Center]] in December 1933, with the RCA Building at center|alt=Black and white photo of the construction of Rockefeller Center in December 1933, with the RCA Building at center]] The construction of Rockefeller Center occurred between 1932 and 1940{{efn|30 Rockefeller Center was the first building to start construction, in September 1932.<ref name="nyt-1932-03-08">{{cite news |title=First Steel Column Erected in 70-Story Rockefeller Unit |date=March 8, 1932 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/03/08/issue.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=November 15, 2017 |page=43 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163403/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/03/08/issue.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The last building was completed in 1940.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/10/16/102265018.pdf |title=Airline Building is Dedicated Here; Governors of 17 States Take Part by Pressing Keys |date=October 16, 1940 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=November 21, 2017 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163359/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/10/16/102265018.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref>}} on land that [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]] leased from [[Columbia University]].{{sfn|Glancy|1992|p=431}}<ref name="nyt-1976-03-21">{{Cite news |last=Kaiser |first=Charles |date=March 21, 1976 |title=The Truth Is, Columbia Owns Rockefeller Center Buildings, Too |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/03/21/archives/the-truth-is-columbia-owns-rockefeller-center-buildings-too.html |access-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225194015/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/03/21/archives/the-truth-is-columbia-owns-rockefeller-center-buildings-too.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Rockefeller Center site was originally supposed to be occupied by a new [[opera house]] for the [[Metropolitan Opera]].<ref>{{cite web |date=March 28, 1978 |title=Radio City Music Hall |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0995.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116034329/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0995.pdf |archive-date=November 16, 2017 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |page=3}}</ref> By 1928, [[Benjamin Wistar Morris (architect)|Benjamin Wistar Morris]] and designer [[Joseph Urban]] were hired to come up with blueprints for the house.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=21}} However, the new building was too expensive for the opera to fund by itself, and it needed an [[Financial endowment|endowment]].{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=13}} The project ultimately gained the support of [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]]{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=13}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|pp=31–32}} The planned opera house was canceled in December 1929 due to various issues, with the [[Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center)|new opera house]] eventually being built at [[Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts|Lincoln Center]], opening in 1966.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 6, 1929 |title=Rockefeller Site for Opera Dropped |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/12/06/94215747.pdf |access-date=November 10, 2017 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163358/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/12/06/94215747.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=11}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|pp=16, 48–50}} With the lease still in effect, Rockefeller had to quickly devise new plans so that the three-block Columbia site could become profitable. [[Raymond Hood]], Rockefeller Center's lead architect, came up with the idea to negotiate with the [[RCA|Radio Corporation of America (RCA)]] and its subsidiaries, [[NBC|National Broadcasting Company (NBC)]] and [[RKO Pictures|Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO)]], to build a [[mass media]] entertainment complex on the site.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=50}}{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=29}} By May 1930, RCA and its affiliates had made an agreement with Rockefeller Center managers. RCA would lease {{cvt|1,000,000|ft2|m2}} of studio space; get naming rights to the western part of the development; and develop four theaters, at a cost of $4.25 million per year.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=142}} A skyscraper at 30 Rockefeller Plaza's current site was first proposed in the March 1930 version of the complex's blueprint,<ref>{{cite news |date=June 17, 1930 |title=Rockefeller Begins Work in the Fall on 5th Av. Radio City |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/06/17/96157691.pdf |access-date=November 10, 2017 |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320174038/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/06/17/96157691.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref> and the current dimensions of the tower were finalized in March 1931.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=57}}<ref>{{cite news |date=March 6, 1931 |title=Radio City to Create a New Architecture; Model and Ground Plan of the Radio City |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/03/06/102217888.pdf |access-date=November 11, 2017 |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320174042/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/03/06/102217888.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The skyscraper would be named for RCA as part of the agreement;{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=142}} the RCA name became official in May 1932.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=May 15, 1932 |title=The RCA Building |volume=2 |issue=10 |pages=15 |id={{ProQuest|1529145214}}|magazine=Broadcasting}}</ref> ==== Construction ==== The designs for Radio City Music Hall and the RCA Building were submitted to the [[New York City Department of Buildings]] in August 1931, by which time both buildings were to open in 1932.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 12, 1931 |title=$7,000,000 Building Begun in Radio City |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/08/12/118220113.pdf |access-date=November 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223354/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/08/12/118220113.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Work on the steel structure of the RCA Building started in March 1932.<ref name="nyt-1932-03-08" /> Several artists were hired to design artwork for the RCA Building.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|pp=651–652}} [[Lee Lawrie]] was hired to design the RCA Building's eastern entrance in June 1932, at which point the sunken plaza in front of the building was also announced.<ref name="p1114513116" /><ref name="nyt-1932-06-10" /> The next month, Barry Faulkner was commissioned to create a large glass mosaic on the western entrance facing Sixth Avenue.<ref name="nyt-1932-07-13" /> Gaston Lachaise received the commission for bas-reliefs on the Sixth Avenue entrance in September 1932.<ref name="nyt-1932-09-19" /> The same month, Hood and the complex's manager John Todd traveled to Europe to interview five artists for the lobby.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=652}} Frank Brangwyn, Josep Maria Sert, and Diego Rivera were hired the following month,{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=652}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 10, 1932 |title=Rockefeller City Gets Alien Artists; Frank Brangwyn, Jose Maria Sert and Diego Rivera to Do Nine Mural Panels |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/10/10/archives/rockefeller-city-gets-alien-artists-frank-brangwyn-jose-maria-sert.html |access-date=February 12, 2022 |archive-date=February 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212191053/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/10/10/archives/rockefeller-city-gets-alien-artists-frank-brangwyn-jose-maria-sert.html |url-status=live }}</ref> despite John Rockefeller Jr.'s hesitance to hire Rivera, a prominent communist.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=652}}{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=152}} [[Henri Matisse]] had been reluctant to commission a highly visible lobby mural, and [[Pablo Picasso]] had refused to even meet with Hood and Todd.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=652}}{{sfn|Balfour|1978|pp=151–152}} [[File:Lunch atop a Skyscraper - Charles Clyde Ebbets.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Lunch atop a Skyscraper]]'', a 1932 photo by [[Charles Clyde Ebbets]]]] Installation of the exterior stonework began in July 1932 and proceeded at a rate of {{Convert|2000|ft3}} per day.<ref name="nyt-1932-09-27">{{Cite news |date=September 27, 1932 |title=Steel Frame Is Completed On Mean Rockefeller Unit |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/09/27/archives/steel-frame-is-completed-on-mean-rockefeller-unit.html |access-date=February 12, 2022}}</ref> Window installation began the same month.<ref name="p1240053177" /> The building's structural steel was up to the 64th floor by September 16, 1932.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 16, 1932 |title=Rockefeller Centre Employs 5,000 Men; Steel Frame Is Up to 64th Floor on Central Building of the Development |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/09/16/100806110.pdf |access-date=November 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223355/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/09/16/100806110.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="p1114731116" /> The photograph ''[[Lunch atop a Skyscraper]]'' was taken on September 20, 1932, during the construction of the 69th floor;<ref>{{cite web |last=Gambino |first=Megan |date=September 20, 2012 |title=Lunch Atop a Skyscraper Photograph: The Story Behind the Famous Shot |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/lunch-atop-a-skyscraper-photograph-the-story-behind-the-famous-shot-43931148/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201033739/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/lunch-atop-a-skyscraper-photograph-the-story-behind-the-famous-shot-43931148/ |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |access-date=December 5, 2017 |website=Smithsonian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lunch Atop a Skyscraper |url=http://100photos.time.com/photos/lunch-atop-a-skyscraper |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204181423/http://100photos.time.com/photos/lunch-atop-a-skyscraper |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |access-date=January 31, 2021 |website=100 Photographs : The Most Influential Images of All Time |publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> it was part of a [[publicity stunt]] promoting the RCA Building.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hotz |first=Amy |date=November 10, 2003 |title=A Photo Finished |work=[[Star-News]] |url=http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20031110/NEWS/311100319 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003073522/http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20031110/NEWS/311100319 |archive-date=October 3, 2013 }}</ref> The building was topped out on September 26, 1932, when an American flag was hoisted to the top of the primary 66-story tower on Rockefeller Plaza. The Indiana limestone cladding had been erected to the 15th floor on the Rockefeller Plaza wing, and the facade of the Sixth Avenue wing had been completed.<ref name="nyt-1932-09-27" /> The stone was fabricated at four factories in New York state and then shipped to New York City. Two traveling cranes lifted the stone from the ground to two hoists {{convert|70|ft}} high, which then raised the stone to the upper floors.<ref name="nyt-1932-12-08" /> The stonework of the primary tower was completed on December 7, 1932, without fanfare.<ref name="nyt-1932-12-08" /><ref name="p1221345811">{{cite news |date=December 8, 1932 |title=Last Stone Set At 70 Story RCA Building: Work on Exterior of Unit at Rockefeller Center Finished Without Ceremony Erection Sets a Record Structure World's Largest in Amount of Floor Space |page=4 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1221345811}}}}</ref> Officials said at the time that they did not host a ceremony for the stonework's completion because the elevators only ran to the 55th floor.<ref name="p1221345811" /> It had taken only 102 workdays to install the {{convert|212000|ft3}} of stonework.<ref name="nyt-1932-12-08" /> Rockefeller Plaza was added to the city's official street map in January 1933, and the RCA Building gained the address 30 Rockefeller Plaza.<ref name="nyt-1933-01-16" /> The next month, John D. Rockefeller III honored 27 mechanics for their work on the RCA Building.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 2, 1933 |title=Craftsmen Lauded by Rockefeller 3d; Size and Cost of Center Not So Vital as Quality of Work, He Says at Ceremony |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/02/02/archives/craftsmen-lauded-by-rockefeller-3d-size-and-cost-of-center-not-so.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213022903/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/02/02/archives/craftsmen-lauded-by-rockefeller-3d-size-and-cost-of-center-not-so.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=February 2, 1933 |title=R.C. A. Building Workers Get Merit Awards: John D. Rockefeller 3d Presents Prizes to 27 Employees of Contracting Firms |page=28 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1222088599}}}}</ref> At the time, ''The New York Times'' reported that 1,600 workers were busy completing the interior work. According to the main contractors, the laborers, plasterers, and metal lathers involved in the project would need to be compensated the equivalent of 25,000 eight-hour workdays. The building would require {{convert|26900|ST|LT t}} of plasterwork, covering about {{convert|650,000|yd2|m2}}.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 5, 1933 |title=1,600 Work in Skyscraper; Interior Construction Pushed on Seventy-Story RCA Building. |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/02/05/archives/1600-work-in-skyscraper-interior-construction-pushed-on.html |access-date=February 12, 2022 |archive-date=February 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212191053/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/02/05/archives/1600-work-in-skyscraper-interior-construction-pushed-on.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By April 6, 1933, there were 1,400 mechanics working to complete the RCA Building, which was 90 percent complete; the upper floors were mostly finished, but the base was still incomplete.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 6, 1933 |title=Rockefeller Edifice Nearing Completion; First Tenants Will Move Into 70-Story RCA Building About May 1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/04/06/archives/rockefeller-edifice-nearing-completion-first-tenants-will-move-into.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213022857/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/04/06/archives/rockefeller-edifice-nearing-completion-first-tenants-will-move-into.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As late as April 24, more than 1,000 workers were still fitting out the RCA Building.<ref name="nyt-1933-04-23">{{Cite news |date=April 23, 1933 |title=Offices Are Opened in RCA Skyscraper; Work Nearing Completion on Main Building in Rockefeller Center |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/04/23/archives/offices-are-opened-in-rca-skyscraper-work-nearing-completion-on.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213022858/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/04/23/archives/offices-are-opened-in-rca-skyscraper-work-nearing-completion-on.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1240067338">{{cite news |date=April 24, 1933 |title=Real Estate News: R.C. A. Building Gets Its First Business Firm Builders of 70-Story Skyscraper Locate on the 2d Floor of Structure |page=25 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1240067338}}}}</ref> As a result of the Depression, building costs were cheaper than projected. The final cost of the first ten buildings, including the RCA Building, came to $102 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|0.102|1935|r=1}} billion in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars{{Inflation-fn|US-GDP}}).{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=198}} === Opening and early years === [[File:30 Rockefeller Plaza New York City RCA GE Building.jpg|thumb|alt=Black-and-white image of the top floors with RCA wordmark in 1943|View of the top floors with RCA wordmark in 1943]] Todd, Robertson, Todd Engineering Corporation, which was constructing Rockefeller Center, relocated to the RCA Building on April 22, 1933, becoming the first tenants.<ref name="nyt-1933-04-23" /><ref name="p1240067338" /> The RCA Building was slated to officially open on May 1, 1933.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 30, 1933 |title=Two Skyscrapers Will Open This Week; RCA and John Street Buildings Ready |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/04/30/105128980.pdf |access-date=November 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223357/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/04/30/105128980.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Its opening was delayed until mid-May because of a controversy over Rivera's ''Man at the Crossroads'',{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=185}} which in large part stemmed from the communist motifs of the mural.<ref name="PBS2">{{cite web |title=Diego Rivera's ''Man at the crossroads'' |publisher=PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/visualarts/diegorivera.html |access-date=August 7, 2013 |archive-date=September 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922055520/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/visualarts/diegorivera.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 10, 1933, Rivera was ordered to stop all work on the mural,<ref name="NYTimes-Rockefellers-Ban-Lenin-1933">{{cite news |date=May 10, 1933 |title=Rockefellers Ban Lenin in the RCA Mural and Dismiss Rivera |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/05/10/105133191.pdf |access-date=December 4, 2017 |archive-date=October 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001025557/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/05/10/105133191.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 10, 1933 |title=Rockefeller Center Ousts Rivera and Boards Up Mural: Mexican Artist Refuses to Delete Lenin Head; on RCA Building Panel |page=1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1222128627}}}}</ref> which was covered in stretched canvas and left incomplete.<ref name="NYTimes-Rockefellers-Ban-Lenin-1933" /><ref name="PBS2" />{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=313}} Brangwyn's murals were also incomplete at the time of the building's opening.<ref name="nyt-1933-09-15" /> Rivera's mural remained covered until February 1934, when workmen peeled the mural off the wall.<ref name="nyt-1934-02-13" /> Columbia University originally owned most of Rockefeller Center's land as well as the complex's buildings, including the RCA Building. However, Columbia received no rental income; Rockefeller Center's managers collected the rent and owned the land under the western part of the complex, including a section of the RCA Building West.<ref name="nyt-1976-03-21" /> The RCA offices moved to the RCA Building's 52nd and 53rd floors in June 1933.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 2, 1933 |title=R.C.A. Chiefs to Move to Rockefeller Plaza; National Broadcasting Co. to Follow Later |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/06/02/archives/rca-chiefs-to-move-to-rockefeller-plaza-national-broadcasting-co-to.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=October 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020033809/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/06/02/archives/rca-chiefs-to-move-to-rockefeller-plaza-national-broadcasting-co-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Rockefeller family took up space throughout the building to give potential tenants the impression of occupancy.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=257}}<ref name="nyt-1933-03-27">{{Cite news |date=March 27, 1933 |title=Philanthropies Rent RCA Building Space; Three Organizations Supported by Rockefeller Will Move Headquarters on May 1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/03/27/archives/philanthropies-rent-rca-building-space-three-organizations.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213022857/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/03/27/archives/philanthropies-rent-rca-building-space-three-organizations.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Their [[Rockefeller Foundation]], as well as the General Education Board and the Spelman Fund of New York, had leased space,<ref>{{cite news |date=March 28, 1933 |title=RCA Building Leases |page=5 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|131080577}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1933-03-27" /> and the Rockefeller family's [[Standard Oil|Standard Oil Company]] moved into the RCA Building in 1934.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 26, 1934 |title=Oil Institute to Move; American Petroleum Leases Quarters in the RCA Building |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/01/26/94486419.pdf |access-date=November 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223355/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/01/26/94486419.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> NBC was one of the first tenants in the new RCA Building and, with 35 studios packed into the base, it was also one of the largest tenants.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=362}} Westinghouse moved into the 14th through 17th floors of the RCA Building,{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=257}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 17, 1933 |title=Rent 75,000 Sq. Ft. In RCA Skyscraper; The Westinghouse Companies Lease Large Space in Rockefeller Building |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/04/17/archives/rent-75000-sq-ft-in-rca-skyscraper-the-westinghouse-companies-lease.html |access-date=February 13, 2022}}</ref> receiving the contract for the building's elevators as a result.<ref name="p219175149">{{cite magazine |last=Agovino |first=Theresa |date=May 4, 2009 |title=Quality, location rule at 30 Rock |volume=25 |issue=19 |page=20 |id={{ProQuest|219175149}} |magazine=Crain's New York Business}}</ref> [[American Cyanamid]] took four floors and part of another.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 13, 1934 |title=Leases Four Floors in the RCA Building; American Cyanamid Company to Move to Rockefeller Center About April 1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/01/13/archives/leases-four-floors-in-the-rca-building-american-cyanamid-company-to.html |access-date=February 13, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=January 13, 1934 |title=Chemical Firm Takes Space in R.C. A. Building: American Cyanamid Co. to Occupy Four Floors and Part of Fifth in Tower |page=24 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1243049599}}}}</ref> Other space was taken by the Greek consulate,<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 4, 1933 |title=New Offices Taken by Greek Consulate; Quarters in RCA Building Leased – Expanding Liquor Firms Add to Rental Activity |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/10/04/archives/new-offices-taken-by-greek-consulate-quarters-in-rca-building.html |access-date=February 13, 2022}}</ref> the Chinese consulate,<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 26, 1933 |title=Chinese Consul Takes Offices in RCA Building |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/10/26/archives/chinese-consul-takes-offices-in-rca-building.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213170244/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/10/26/archives/chinese-consul-takes-offices-in-rca-building.html |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[National Health Council]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 15, 1933 |title=Health Council in RCA Building; Fifteen Units of National Body to Be Consolidated in New Quarters |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/12/15/archives/health-council-in-rca-building-fifteen-units-of-national-body-to-be.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213170251/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/12/15/archives/health-council-in-rca-building-fifteen-units-of-national-body-to-be.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and a branch of the [[Chase National Bank]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 18, 1933 |title=Chase Branch for RCA Building |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/08/18/archives/chase-branch-for-rca-building.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213170248/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/08/18/archives/chase-branch-for-rca-building.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A double-height space at the center of the ground story, which had been difficult to rent, opened as the Municipal Art Exhibition in February 1934.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 28, 1934 |title=4,000 Applaud As Mile of Art Is Put on View: LaGuardia Opens Record Exhibition in Rockefeller Center Galleries |page=1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1114856148}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 28, 1934 |title=City Art Exhibit Opened by Mayor; He Buys 20 Works to Show Pleasure at Display in Rockefeller Center |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/02/28/archives/city-art-exhibit-opened-by-mayor-he-buys-20-works-to-show-pleasure.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215001903/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/02/28/archives/city-art-exhibit-opened-by-mayor-he-buys-20-works-to-show-pleasure.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The space, referred to as the Forum,<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 16, 1936 |title=$60,000 Gifts Aid Museum; Science and Industry Exhibits to Occupy Space in RCA Building |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/01/16/archives/60000-gifts-aid-museum-science-and-industry-exhibits-to-occupy.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214142832/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/01/16/archives/60000-gifts-aid-museum-science-and-industry-exhibits-to-occupy.html |url-status=live }}</ref> had contained a large stairway leading up to a second-story balcony with exhibition rooms.{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=660}} Despite the large number of tenants, Rockefeller Center was only 59 percent rented by the end of 1933.<ref name="p219175149" /> Shortly after the RCA Building's opening, there were plans to use the building above the 64th floor as a public "amusement center". That section of the building had several terraces, which could be used as a dance floor, observation deck and landscaped terrace gardens.<ref name="nyt-1933-05-24">{{cite news |date=May 24, 1933 |title=Play Spot Planned Atop Rca Building; Rockefeller Center Considering Public Dining and Dancing Rooms on Upper Stories |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/05/24/105136861.pdf |access-date=December 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223357/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/05/24/105136861.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="p1114796868">{{cite news |date=May 24, 1933 |title=6-Story Center For Play to Top R.C.A. Building: Director of Rye Playland to Create Entertainment Spot 64 Stories in Air Details Are Not Ready Darling to Continue Guidance of Westchester Park |page=16 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1114796868}}}}</ref> On the 65th floor, there was also a two-story space for a dining room with a high ceiling.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 22, 1934 |title=Night Club to Open Atop Rca Building; Stately 2-Story Dining Room, 65 Floors Up, Will Be Ready for Use in October |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/08/22/93638931.pdf |access-date=December 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223357/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/08/22/93638931.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Frank W. Darling]] quit his job as head of [[Playland (New York)|Rye's Playland]]<ref>{{cite news |date=October 1, 1933 |title=Quits as Playland Head; Darling to Be Succeeded as Park Director by H.F. O'Malley |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/10/01/223747202.pdf |access-date=December 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223357/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/10/01/223747202.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> to direct the programming for the proposed amusement space.<ref name="nyt-1933-05-24" /><ref name="p1114796868" /> In July 1933, the managers opened an observation deck atop the RCA Building, which consisted of {{cvt|190|by|21|ft|m|adj=on}} terraces on the 67th, 69th, and 70th floors.<ref name="nyt-1933-07-19">{{cite news |date=July 19, 1933 |title=R.C.A. Observatory Opened to Public; Many View New Panorama of City and Environs From Rockefeller Center Unit |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/07/19/105401240.pdf |access-date=December 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223357/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/07/19/105401240.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> The 40-cents-per-head observation deck saw 1,300 daily visitors by late 1935.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=254}} Meanwhile, the floors below the observation deck were planned as a restaurant, solarium, game room, and ballroom, which would later become the [[Rainbow Room]].<ref name="nyt-1933-07-19" /> The Rainbow Room opened on October 3, 1934.{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=8}}<ref name="p1032058796" /> A revolving beacon was installed atop 30 Rockefeller Plaza in 1935, the first such beacon to be installed in Manhattan.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 18, 1935 |title=Beacon Is Installed Atop R.C.A. Building; Manhattan's First Airway Guide Commemorates Record Flight of Tomlinson |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/05/18/archives/beacon-is-installed-atop-rca-building-manhattans-first-airway-guide.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213175854/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/05/18/archives/beacon-is-installed-atop-rca-building-manhattans-first-airway-guide.html |url-status=live }}</ref> That September, the ground-floor retail space was fully leased.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 16, 1935 |title=R.C.A. Shops 100% Rented: Ground Floor of Rockefeller Center Building Out of Market |page=32 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1247413672}}}}</ref> The [[New York Museum of Science and Industry]] leased the Municipal Art Exhibition space shortly afterward after Nelson Rockefeller became a trustee of the museum.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=90}}<ref>{{cite news |date=October 19, 1935 |title=Museum Gets New Home for Expansion Plan: Science and Industry Group to Enlarge Its Exhibits at Rockefeller Center |page=29 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1222051066}}}}</ref> Subsequently, [[Edward Durell Stone]] removed the partitions on the second floor of the exhibition space,{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=660}} and the museum opened there in February 1936.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 11, 1936 |title=New Museum Is an Eden for Gadget Hounds: Science and Industry Hall, Opening Tomorrow, Is Full of Push Buttons Visitors Have Free Hand Anti-Friction Device Is Not All It Used To Be |page=12 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1330121606}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 13, 1936 |title=Boy 'Einstein' First to Visit New Museum; 9-Year-Old Student to Get Piece of Rare Alloy – Thousands View the Exhibits |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/02/13/archives/boy-einstein-first-to-visit-new-museum-9yearold-student-to-get.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214142837/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/02/13/archives/boy-einstein-first-to-visit-new-museum-9yearold-student-to-get.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The central wall of the main lobby remained empty until 1937, when Jose Maria Sert's ''American Progress'' was installed.<ref name="nyt-1937-12-21" /><ref name="p1223337099" /> At the time, the RCA Building was 84 percent leased.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 19, 1938 |title=Rockefeller Will Finish Center At Once to Provide New Jobs; Three Final Buildings Costing $12,000,000 to Be Started Soon as 'Evidence of Continuing Faith in Future of American Business' |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/01/19/archives/rockefeller-will-finish-center-at-once-to-provide-new-jobs-three.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214011253/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/01/19/archives/rockefeller-will-finish-center-at-once-to-provide-new-jobs-three.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1938, the NBC studios at the RCA Building received 700,000 annual visitors, while the observation deck had 430,000 annual visitors.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Robbins |first=L. H. |date=February 13, 1938 |title=Our "City Within a City"; Rockefeller Center, a Magnet for Sight-seers, Is Even Now a World's Fair in Its Own Right |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/02/13/archives/our-city-within-a-city-rockefeller-center-a-magnet-for-sightseers.html |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214011256/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/02/13/archives/our-city-within-a-city-rockefeller-center-a-magnet-for-sightseers.html |url-status=live }}</ref> === 1940s to 1970s === [[File:30 Rockefeller Plaza.jpg|thumb|The building at night as seen from Channel Gardens]] Two 24-[[Ton of refrigeration|ton]] cooling machines were installed in the basement of the RCA Building in 1940. The air-conditioning units supplemented the RCA Building's existing units and also served 1230 Sixth Avenue, 10 Rockefeller Plaza, and 1 Rockefeller Plaza.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 31, 1940 |title=Cooling Plant Expanded; Largest Air-Conditioned System for Rockefeller Center |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/03/31/archives/cooling-plant-expanded-largest-airconditioned-system-for.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214142833/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/03/31/archives/cooling-plant-expanded-largest-airconditioned-system-for.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The lobby was then renovated in 1941. As part of the project, an overpass at mezzanine level was removed, the lighting was brightened, and another mural by Jose Maria Sert was installed.<ref name="nyt-1941-01-17" /> An air-raid siren was installed atop 30 Rockefeller Plaza in 1942 during World War II.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 1, 1942 |title=8-Mile Siren Gets Test on Saturday; First of Ten Big Noisemakers for Air Raid Warnings to Go Atop RCA Building |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/07/01/archives/8mile-siren-gets-test-on-saturday-first-of-ten-big-noisemakers-for.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214013312/https://www.nytimes.com/1942/07/01/archives/8mile-siren-gets-test-on-saturday-first-of-ten-big-noisemakers-for.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=June 30, 1942 |title=City Installing Super-Siren on RCA Building: 100 Horsepower, It Throws Raid Warning 12 Miles; Will Be Tested Saturday A. E. F. in Northern Ireland Prepares for a Second. Front |page=8 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1264413324}}}}</ref> The Rainbow Room and Grill atop the RCA Building was closed at the end of that December because of staffing shortages.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 20, 1942 |title=Rainbow Room and Grill To Close for Duration |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1942/12/20/85620743.pdf |access-date=December 9, 2017 |archive-date=June 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606141726/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1942/12/20/85620743.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=413}} In 1943, Rockefeller Center's managers purchased the lots at 1242–1248 Sixth Avenue and 73 West 49th Street, part of RCA Building West; these lots had previously been held under a long-term lease.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 4, 1943 |title=Rockefellers Buy 6th Ave. Buildings; Acquire 3 Valuable Corners Opposite Their Development, Besides Other Properties Deal Stirs Speculation Seen As Part Of Post-War Expansion Plans – Also Linked To Improvement Of Street |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1943/08/04/83933733.pdf |access-date=November 22, 2017}}</ref> By the next year, the RCA Building was almost fully rented.<ref name="p219175149" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=January 21, 1944 |title=Rockefeller City Now 99% Rented; Fourteen Big Buildings Contain 3,540,235 Square Feet of Rentable Office Space |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/01/21/archives/rockefeller-city-now-99-rented-fourteen-big-buildings-contain.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215025454/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/01/21/archives/rockefeller-city-now-99-rented-fourteen-big-buildings-contain.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the war, the RCA Building's Room 3603 became the primary location of the U.S. operations of [[Secret Intelligence Service|British Intelligence]]'s [[British Security Co-ordination]], organized by [[William Stephenson]]. It also served as the office of [[Allen Dulles]], who later headed the [[Central Intelligence Agency]].{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=411}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Srodes |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RIaw7GYDFmwC |title=Allen Dulles: Master of Spies |date=June 25, 1999 |publisher=Regnery Publishing, Inc. |isbn=9780895263148 |location=Washington |pages=207, 210 |author-link=James Srodes |access-date=March 6, 2014}}</ref> The revolving beacon, which had been darkened during the war, was reactivated in 1945 after the air-raid siren was dismantled,<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 30, 1945 |title=RCA Building Beacon On |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/10/30/archives/rca-building-beacon-on.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215004823/https://www.nytimes.com/1945/10/30/archives/rca-building-beacon-on.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but the Rainbow Room restaurant remained closed until 1950.{{sfn|Postal|2012|p=9}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Hughes |first=Alice |date=October 10, 1950 |title=Art, Music, Drama Pitch For Hospitalized Veterans |page=11 |work=Buffalo Courier-Express |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspapers%252021%2FBuffalo%2520NY%2520Courier%2520Express%2FBuffalo%2520NY%2520Courier%2520Express%25201950%2FBuffalo%2520NY%2520Courier%2520Express%25201950%2520a%2520-%25200453.pdf |access-date=December 9, 2017 |via=[[Fultonhistory.com]] |archive-date=June 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606141845/https://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%2021/Buffalo%20NY%20Courier%20Express/Buffalo%20NY%20Courier%20Express%201950/Buffalo%20NY%20Courier%20Express%201950%20a%20-%200453.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The Museum of Science and Industry moved out of the RCA Building's lower floors in 1950. Rockefeller Center's managers hired [[Carson and Lundin]] to design two new levels of retail space with about {{convert|10000|ft2}} of new floor area.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 16, 1950 |title=Major Space Alteration Planned in RCA Building |page=40 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1327169981}}}}</ref> The retail space was twice as profitable as the museum; the remaining street-level space was transformed into a studio for the ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today Show]]''.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=424}} In mid-1953, Columbia bought all of Rockefeller Center's land along Sixth Avenue, including the western part of RCA Building West, for $5.5 million. Rockefeller Center then leased the land back from Columbia.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|pp=108–109}}<ref>{{cite news |date=August 13, 1953 |title=Columbia Buys Another Rockefeller Center Plot |page=8 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1322504709}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cooper |first=Lee E. |date=August 13, 1953 |title=Columbia Adds $5,500,000 Land To Its Rockefeller Center Holding; Area Is Bought, Then Rented Back to Sellers, Who Also Get a Longer Lease |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/08/13/archives/columbia-adds-5500000-land-to-its-rockefeller-center-holding-area.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214150856/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/08/13/archives/columbia-adds-5500000-land-to-its-rockefeller-center-holding-area.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The building's largest tenants, RCA and NBC, renewed their leases in 1958 for 24 years.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 30, 1958 |title=Leases Renewed by R.C.A. and N.B.C.; Rockefeller Center Tenants Sign Agreement to Rent Quarters Until 1982 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/06/30/archives/leases-renewed-by-rca-and-nbc-rockefeller-center-tenants-sign.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214152635/https://www.nytimes.com/1958/06/30/archives/leases-renewed-by-rca-and-nbc-rockefeller-center-tenants-sign.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The National Weather Service's radar was placed on the roof in June 1960, adjacent to RCA's and NBC's antennas,<ref name="nyt-1960-06-14" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Cook |first=Philip S. |date=June 8, 1960 |title=Weather Gear Moved Atop RCA Bldg: Bureau's New Home To Be Ready Aug. 1 |page=7 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1325302942}}}}</ref> and the NWS offices relocated to the building that December.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=David |date=December 29, 1960 |title=Weather Bureau Moves Smoothly; 50-Year Pile of Records Is Shifted From Battery to Rockefeller Plaza Office |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/12/29/archives/weather-bureau-moves-smoothly-50year-pile-of-records-is-shifted.html |access-date=February 14, 2022}}</ref> The [[Singer Manufacturing Company]] became another major tenant, leasing six floors in 1961;<ref>{{cite news |date=November 17, 1961 |title=Singer Rents Six Floors In Center: Firm Will Move There in 1962 |page=38 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1325841053}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 16, 1961 |title=Singer to Move Uptown, Sell Broadway Building |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/11/16/archives/singer-to-move-uptown-sell-broadway-building.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214164140/https://www.nytimes.com/1961/11/16/archives/singer-to-move-uptown-sell-broadway-building.html |url-status=live }}</ref> this required the installation of a dedicated air-conditioning system on the 58th floor for that company.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Miller |first=Jerry |date=September 1, 1963 |title=Air-Conditioners Hoisted High Free Space for Rental Purposes |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/09/01/archives/airconditioners-hoisted-high-free-space-for-rental-purposes.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214162341/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/09/01/archives/airconditioners-hoisted-high-free-space-for-rental-purposes.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, the Rainbow Room atop the building was refurbished in 1965.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 28, 1965 |title=Rainbow Room and Grill: Up, Up and Away From It All; 65-Story-High Cafe Is a Refuge From Ye Ye and Frug |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/07/28/97634702.pdf |access-date=December 10, 2017 |archive-date=June 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606141728/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/07/28/97634702.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref> An [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|anti-Vietnam War]] bombing occurred on the 19th floor in 1969, causing substantial damage, though no one was hurt.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bryson |first1=William |last2=Damski |first2=Melvin |date=November 11, 1969 |title=Blasts Rock 3 Buildings In the City |page=1 |work=Newsday |id={{ProQuest|918216347}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Clines |first=Francis X. |date=November 12, 1969 |title=Bombs Here Linked To 4 Earlier Blasts; Letter Attacks War; Bombs Used Yesterday Similar to Those in Earlier Blasts 2 Letters Sent Monday Predicted the Explosions |page=1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/11/12/79435970.pdf |access-date=May 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029202614/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/11/12/79435970.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 1969, the RCA sign atop the building was updated with RCA's new logo in neon lights.<ref name="nyt-2014-06-13">{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Sam |date=June 13, 2014 |title=Comcast Seeking to Replace G.E.'s Initials Atop 30 Rock |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/14/nyregion/comcast-seeks-to-replace-ges-initials-at-30-rock.html |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311234508/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/14/nyregion/comcast-seeks-to-replace-ges-initials-at-30-rock.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The RCA Building maintained high occupancy through this time. Even at its lowest point during the [[1973–1975 recession]], the building was 88 percent occupied and Rockefeller Center's managers were able to lease space at the building above market rate.<ref name="p219175149" /> In 1973, the RCA sign atop the building was turned off to conserve energy, the first time it had not lit up since World War II.<ref name="nyt-1973-12-16" /> The next January, RCA renewed its lease for 20 years, having previously considered relocating from New York City.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Horsley |first=Carter B. |date=January 17, 1974 |title=RCA Building to Get an Addition Using Solar Energy |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/17/archives/rca-building-to-get-an-addition-using-solar-energy-rca-building-to.html |access-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225194005/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/17/archives/rca-building-to-get-an-addition-using-solar-energy-rca-building-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p555973270">{{cite news |date=January 17, 1974 |title=RCA to Remain In Manhattan |page=67 |work=The Hartford Courant |id={{ProQuest|555973270}}}}</ref> RCA's chief executive [[Robert Sarnoff]] also announced that the company would construct a "management and conference center" atop the central section of the building.<ref name="p555973270" /><ref>{{cite news |date=January 17, 1974 |title=RCA Slates Meeting Room Partially Heated by the Sun |page=22 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|133871668}}}}</ref> The conference center would have been designed by Ford & Earl Design Associates and Justin Lamb and would have been powered by [[Solar thermal energy|solar heat]].{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=67}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=148}} RCA applied for permission to build the conference center in September 1975,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fowler |first=Glenn |date=September 4, 1975 |title=Center in RCA Building to Draw On Sun for Heating and Cooling |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/09/04/archives/center-in-rca-building-to-draw-on-sun-for-heating-and-cooling.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214142835/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/09/04/archives/center-in-rca-building-to-draw-on-sun-for-heating-and-cooling.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but the project was canceled after Sarnoff resigned that December.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Gene |date=December 5, 1975 |title=Sarnoff Project Scrapped by RCA |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/05/archives/sarnoff-project-scrapped-by-rca-conference-center-plan-to-use-solar.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214142834/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/05/archives/sarnoff-project-scrapped-by-rca-conference-center-plan-to-use-solar.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The RCA Building's central location and consistent upkeep meant that it was 93 percent occupied by 1975, despite a relatively high vacancy rate in New York City office buildings.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Horsley |first=Carter B. |date=August 3, 1975 |title=Move-outs Weaken Prewar Buildings |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/03/archives/moveouts-weaken-prewar-buildings-moveouts-weaken-prewar-buildings.html |access-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225195351/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/03/archives/moveouts-weaken-prewar-buildings-moveouts-weaken-prewar-buildings.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Several law firms had moved into the building during this time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Tom |date=March 7, 1974 |title=Law Firms Shifting From Wall St. |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/07/archives/law-firms-shifting-from-wall-st-several-trends-emerge.html |access-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225195349/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/07/archives/law-firms-shifting-from-wall-st-several-trends-emerge.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Singer moved out of the RCA Building in 1978, freeing up a large block of office space,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sterba |first=James P. |date=June 14, 1978 |title=Singer Co. Is Moving to. Stamford To Surprise of New York Officials |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/06/14/archives/singer-co-is-moving-to-stamford-to-surprise-of-new-york-officials.html |access-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225195348/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/06/14/archives/singer-co-is-moving-to-stamford-to-surprise-of-new-york-officials.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but RCA and NBC renewed their leases on a combined {{convert|1.2|e6ft2}} two years later.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 27, 1980 |title=Realty News--; Rockefeller Center Park Place Broadway Lease |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/01/27/archives/realty-news-rockefeller-center-park-place-broadway-lease.html |access-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226013030/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/01/27/archives/realty-news-rockefeller-center-park-place-broadway-lease.html |url-status=live }}</ref> === 1980s and 1990s === [[File:GE Building New York August 2012 001.jpg|thumb|View of the building's facade from the east, above Rockefeller Plaza]] Columbia University was not making enough money from Rockefeller Center leases by the 1970s,{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=428}} and the university started looking to sell the land beneath Rockefeller Center, including the RCA Building, in 1983.<ref name="nyt-1985-02-06">{{cite news |last=Dowd |first=Maureen |date=February 6, 1985 |title=Columbia Is To Get $400 Million In Rockefeller Center Land Sale |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/06/nyregion/colombia-is-to-get-400-million-in-rockefeller-center-land-sale.html |access-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-date=December 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210074022/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/06/nyregion/colombia-is-to-get-400-million-in-rockefeller-center-land-sale.html |url-status=live }}</ref> That year, the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] (LPC) held hearings to determine how much of Rockefeller Center should be protected as a landmark.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lake |first=Katharine |date=April 18, 1983 |title=Rockefeller Center landmarking proposed |pages=106 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97567070/rockefeller-center-landmarking/ |access-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313235550/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97567070/rockefeller-center-landmarking/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Rockefeller family and Columbia University acknowledged that the buildings were already symbolically landmarks, but their spokesman [[John E. Zuccotti]] recommended that only the block between 49th and 50th Streets be protected, including the RCA Building and RCA Building West.{{efn|Namely 1250 Avenue of the Americas, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the British Empire Building, La Maison Francaise, the Channel Gardens, and the Lower Plaza{{sfn|Glancy|1992|p=425}}|name=49th–50th-block}} By contrast, almost everyone else who supported Rockefeller Center's landmark status recommended that the entire complex be landmarked.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=September 21, 1983 |title=Rockefeller Center: a 'Jewel' but Is All of It a Landmark? |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/21/nyregion/rockefeller-center-a-jewel-but-is-all-of-it-a-landmark.html |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214024735/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/21/nyregion/rockefeller-center-a-jewel-but-is-all-of-it-a-landmark.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wiener |first=Caryn Eve |date=September 21, 1983 |title=6-Block Landmark Viewed as Too Costly |pages=25 |work=Newsday |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97567027/6-block-landmark-viewed-as-too/ |access-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313235156/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97567027/6-block-landmark-viewed-as-too/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=576}} The LPC granted landmark status to the exteriors of all of the original complex's buildings, as well as the interiors of the International Building's and 30 Rockefeller Plaza's lobbies, on April 23, 1985.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=576}}{{sfn|Adams|1985|pp=270–271}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=T. J. |date=April 24, 1985 |title=Rockefeller Center a Landmark for Real |pages=23 |work=Newsday |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97338249/rockefeller-center-a-landmark-for/ |access-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310211411/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97338249/rockefeller-center-a-landmark-for/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|The final exterior landmark designation covers 12 buildings as well as the Channel Gardens, Rockefeller Plaza, and Lower Plaza. These are [[1230 Avenue of the Americas|1230]], [[1250 Avenue of the Americas|1250]], and [[1270 Avenue of the Americas]]; [[1 Rockefeller Plaza|1]], [[10 Rockefeller Plaza|10]], 30, [[50 Rockefeller Plaza|50]], and [[75 Rockefeller Plaza]]; the British Empire Building; the International Building; La Maison Francaise; and [[Radio City Music Hall]].{{sfn|Glancy|1992|p=425}}}} Rockefeller Center's original buildings also became a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1987.{{sfn|Glancy|1992|p=426}} Columbia had agreed to sell the land to the Rockefeller Group, an investment company owned by the Rockefeller family,<ref name=p135025391/> for $400 million in February 1985.<ref name="nyt-1985-02-06" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Lipman |first=Joanne |date=February 5, 1985 |title=Columbia University Plans to Sell Land At Rockefeller Center for $400 Million |page=1 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|397882539}}}}</ref> The Rockefeller Group formed Rockefeller Center Inc. that July to manage the RCA Building and other properties.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Prokesch |first=Steven E. |date=July 30, 1985 |title=Rockefeller Group Sets $1.1 Billion Financing |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/30/business/rockefeller-group-sets-1.1-billion-financing.html |access-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-date=November 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171126000905/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/30/business/rockefeller-group-sets-1.1-billion-financing.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=p135025391>{{cite news |last=Lipman |first=Joanne |date=July 30, 1985 |title=Rockefellers Mortgage Site In New York: For $1.1 Billion Loan, Firm Gets Option to Buy 60% Of Rockefeller Center |page=3 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|135025391}}}}</ref> By late 1985, NBC began planning to relocate, leaving half the RCA Building's space vacant.<ref name="nyt-1985-11-16">{{Cite news |last=Meislin |first=Richard J. |date=November 16, 1985 |title=NBC Plans a Move From RCA Building |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/16/us/nbc-plans-a-move-from-rca-building.html |access-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310211351/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/16/us/nbc-plans-a-move-from-rca-building.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 20, 1985 |title=NBC plans to leave Rockefeller Center |pages=3 |work=The Journal News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97338625/nbc-plans-to-leave-rockefeller-center/ |access-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310211349/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97338625/nbc-plans-to-leave-rockefeller-center/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The network needed {{convert|1|e6ft2}} of space and the RCA Building's facilities required hundreds of millions of dollars in renovations.<ref name="nyt-1985-11-16" /> The same year, General Electric acquired RCA/NBC and began looking to save money.<ref name="p219096212">{{cite magazine |last=Sommerfield |first=Frank |date=February 9, 1987 |title=Why the Rock Is Chasing NBC |volume=3 |issue=6 |page=1 |id={{ProQuest|219096212}} |magazine=Crain's New York Business}}</ref> The developers of [[Harmon Meadow]] and [[Riverside South, Manhattan|Television City]] had both made offers to NBC, but demand for office space in New York City was starting to decrease, which led the building's owners to focus on keeping NBC at the RCA Building.<ref name="p219096212" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Lowenstein |first=Roger |date=May 30, 1987 |title=New York Fights to Keep NBC in Town As 3 Real-Estate Suitors Woo Network |page=1 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|398011706}}}}</ref> NBC agreed to stay at 30 Rockefeller Plaza at the end of 1987 after city and state officials offered $72 million in tax exemptions, $800 million in industrial bonds, and sales-tax deferments on $1.1 billion worth of purchases.<ref name="nyt-1987-12-08">{{Cite news |last=Purnick |first=Joyce |date=December 8, 1987 |title=New York Said to Give NBC A Tax-Break Package to Stay |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/08/us/new-york-said-to-give-nbc-a-tax-break-package-to-stay.html |access-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310211350/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/08/us/new-york-said-to-give-nbc-a-tax-break-package-to-stay.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p219177782">{{cite magazine |last=Liff |first=Mark |date=December 14, 1987 |title=Tax Break, Bonds and Fresh Cake |volume=3 |issue=50 |page=1 |id={{ProQuest|219177782}} |magazine=Crain's New York Business}}</ref> These incentives would not need to be repaid as long as NBC stayed at the building until 2002, or for 15 years.<ref name="nyt-1987-12-08" /> NBC extended its lease by 35 years so that it would last into 2022 and secured an option to buy the western and central sections of the skyscraper.<ref name="p219177782" /> Meanwhile, the Rockefeller Group had begun expanding the Rainbow Room. The observation deck closed in 1986 because the expansion cut off the only access between the observation deck and its elevators.<ref name="nyt-1986-06-18" /> The Rainbow Room also reopened in December 1987 after the Rockefeller Group conducted an extensive renovation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=December 20, 1987 |title=Architecture View; The New Rainbow Room: S'Wonderful! |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/20/arts/architecture-view-the-new-rainbow-room-s-wonderful.html |access-date=December 9, 2017 |archive-date=December 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210072404/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/20/arts/architecture-view-the-new-rainbow-room-s-wonderful.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The RCA Building was renamed the GE Building in July 1988, and the signage atop the building was changed accordingly, despite concerns that it could be confused with the General Electric Building on [[General Electric Building|570 Lexington Avenue]].<ref name="wsj-1988-07-15">{{cite news |date=July 15, 1988 |title=RCA Building Is to Get New Name: GE Building |page=22 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|135336547}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1988-07-14">{{Cite news |last=Hevesi |first=Dennis |date=July 14, 1988 |title=30 Rock? RCA? NBC? No, G.E.! |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/14/nyregion/30-rock-rca-nbc-no-ge.html |access-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-date=November 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115083221/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/14/nyregion/30-rock-rca-nbc-no-ge.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Mitsubishi Estate Co.|Mitsubishi Estate]], a real estate subsidiary of the [[Mitsubishi|Mitsubishi Group]], purchased a majority stake in the Rockefeller Group in 1988, including the GE Building and Rockefeller Center's other structures.{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=578}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Cole |first=Robert J. |date=October 31, 1989 |title=Japanese Buy New York Cachet With Deal for Rockefeller Center |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/31/business/japanese-buy-new-york-cachet-with-deal-for-rockefeller-center.html |access-date=November 15, 2017 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612210652/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/31/business/japanese-buy-new-york-cachet-with-deal-for-rockefeller-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite the renaming, 30 Rockefeller Plaza continued to be popularly known as the RCA Building.<ref name="nyt-2014-06-13" /> Subsequently, Rockefeller Center transferred some of the unused air rights above the British Empire Building and La Maison Francaise to the [[Rockefeller Plaza West]] skyscraper on [[Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Seventh Avenue]].{{sfn|Glancy|1992|pp=435–437}}<ref name="nyt-1990-09-09">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=September 9, 1990 |title=Commercial Property: Rockefeller Center; The Labyrinthian Path to Building a 55-Story Tower |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/09/realestate/commercial-property-rockefeller-center-labyrinthian-path-building-55-story-tower.html |access-date=March 17, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317195620/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/09/realestate/commercial-property-rockefeller-center-labyrinthian-path-building-55-story-tower.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In exchange, the Rockefeller Group had to preserve the original buildings between 49th and 50th Streets{{efn|name=49th–50th-block}} under a more stringent set of regulations than the rest of the complex. While the GE Building's air rights were unaffected, the structure fell under the new regulations.{{sfn|Glancy|1992|p=451}} [[File:GE Building Oct 2005.jpg|thumb|left|View with GE wordmark, 2005]] The Rockefeller Group filed for bankruptcy protection in May 1995 after missing several mortgage payments.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pacelle |first1=Mitchell |last2=Lipin |first2=Steven |date=May 12, 1995 |title=Japanese owner seeks court protection for Manhattan's Rockefeller Center |page=A3 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|398480359}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hansell |first=Saul |date=May 12, 1995 |title=For the Rockefellers, a Deal Falls Short Only by Inches |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/12/business/for-the-rockefellers-a-deal-falls-short-only-by-inches.html |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311180718/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/12/business/for-the-rockefellers-a-deal-falls-short-only-by-inches.html |url-status=live }}</ref> That November, John Rockefeller Jr.'s son [[David Rockefeller|David]] and a consortium led by [[Goldman Sachs]] agreed to buy Rockefeller Center's buildings for $1.1 billion,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Grant |first=Peter |date=November 8, 1995 |title=Rock Ctr. stays in family |pages=42, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97394035/ 43] |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97393958/rock-ctrpeter-grant/ |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311180739/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97393958/rock-ctrpeter-grant/ |url-status=live }}</ref> beating out [[Sam Zell]] and other bidders.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Grant |first=Peter |date=March 22, 1996 |title=Zell's Rock bid crumbles |pages=671 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97393934/zells-rock-bid-crumblespeter-grant/ |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311181457/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97393934/zells-rock-bid-crumblespeter-grant/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The transaction included $306 million for the mortgage and $845 million for other expenses.<ref name="nyt-2000-12-22">{{Cite news |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |date=December 22, 2000 |title=Era Closes at Rockefeller Center With $1.85 Billion Deal on Sale |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/22/nyregion/era-closes-at-rockefeller-center-with-1.85-billion-deal-on-sale.html |access-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226031439/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/22/nyregion/era-closes-at-rockefeller-center-with-1.85-billion-deal-on-sale.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As that sale progressed, GE and Goldman Sachs discussed selling part of the GE Building to its namesake, allowing GE to lower its occupancy costs on the {{cvt|1600000|sqft|m2}} that it occupied.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pacelle |first=Mitchell |date=April 30, 1996 |title=GE, Goldman Sachs hold talks about Rockefeller Center |page=A6 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|398488527}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=April 30, 1996 |title=G.E. Seen in Talks To Purchase Space In Rockefeller Center |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/30/business/ge-seen-in-talks-to-purchase-space-in-rockefeller-center.html |access-date=March 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311180709/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/30/business/ge-seen-in-talks-to-purchase-space-in-rockefeller-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 1996, GE bought the space for $440 million, as well as an option to renew the lease on the ''Today Show'' studios at 10 Rockefeller Plaza.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Deutsch |first=Claudia H. |date=May 4, 1996 |title=NBC Will Buy Rockefeller Center Space |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/04/business/nbc-will-buy-rockefeller-center-space.html |access-date=March 12, 2022 |archive-date=March 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312001004/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/04/business/nbc-will-buy-rockefeller-center-space.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Before either transaction was finalized, GE subleased {{convert|100000|ft2}} of that space.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Feldman |first=Amy |date=June 3, 1996 |title=NBC channels some space to Rock Center sublets |volume=12 |issue=23 |page=27 |id={{ProQuest|219174787}} |magazine=Crain's New York Business}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Pacelle |first=Mitchell |date=May 6, 1996 |title=GE's NBC Paying $440 Million To Buy Rockefeller Center Offices |page=B4 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|1441127450}}}}</ref> Goldman Sachs made numerous upgrades to the building and allowed brokers to finalize leases more quickly.<ref name="p219175149" /> In addition to GE, other large tenants at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in the late 1990s included law firm [[Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine]] and [[Chadbourne & Parke]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Croghan |first=Lore |date=March 30, 1998 |title=Law firms rejudge needs at 30 Rock |volume=14 |issue=13 |page=53 |id={{ProQuest|219176799}} |magazine=Crain's New York Business}}</ref> [[Cipriani S.A.]] took over the Rainbow Room in 1998.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wadler |first=Joyce |date=December 20, 1998 |title=Last Dance at the Rainbow Room |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/20/style/last-dance-at-the-rainbow-room.html |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=December 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210180409/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/20/style/last-dance-at-the-rainbow-room.html |url-status=live }}</ref> === 2000s to present === [[Tishman Speyer]], led by David Rockefeller's close friend [[Jerry Speyer]] and the [[Lester Crown|Lester Crown family]] of Chicago, bought the original 14 buildings and land in December 2000 for $1.85 billion, including the GE Building.<ref name="nyt-2000-12-22" />{{sfn|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|p=578}} The next year, Tishman Speyer began planning a renovation of the rooftop observation deck, which would be rebranded Top of the Rock.<ref name="nyt-2005-03-11" /> [[Kostow Greenwood Architects]] also started designing a renovation for NBC Studios.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=September 29, 2002 |title=Studios: Many Plans, a Few Completions |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/29/realestate/studios-many-plans-a-few-completions.html |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=July 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716140758/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/29/realestate/studios-many-plans-a-few-completions.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The observation deck plans were announced publicly in November 2003.<ref>{{cite news |last=Elliott |first=Andrea |date=November 11, 2003 |title=Reopening Planned for RCA Building Deck |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/nyregion/reopening-planned-for-rca-building-deck.html |access-date=December 7, 2017 |archive-date=December 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208070629/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/nyregion/reopening-planned-for-rca-building-deck.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Two existing elevator shafts were lengthened so that the observation deck could be accessed without going through the Rainbow Room to get to the "shuttle" elevators. In addition, a ground-floor entrance was created on 50th Street and a three-level storefront was converted into an observation deck entrance.<ref name="nyt-2005-03-11" /> The deck reopened in November 2005 after a renovation by Gabellini Sheppard Associates.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bascomb |first=Neal |date=October 30, 2005 |title=Knockin' on Heaven's Door |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/30/nyregion/thecity/knockin-on-heavens-door.html |access-date=December 7, 2017 |archive-date=December 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208070812/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/30/nyregion/thecity/knockin-on-heavens-door.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Merkel 2006" /> During the late 2000s, the building retained an 85 percent occupancy rate.<ref name="p219175149" /> The [[WNBC-TV]] newsroom was renovated during 2008,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Flamm |first=Matthew |date=September 22, 2008 |title=Insiders worry as WNBC transforms its newsroom |volume=24 |issue=38 |page=9 |id={{ProQuest|219141251}} |magazine=Crain's New York Business}}</ref> after NBC had announced earlier the same year that it would start a 24-hour news channel.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carter |first=Bill |date=May 8, 2008 |title=NBC to Start News Channel in New York |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/business/media/07cnd-wnbc.html |access-date=March 11, 2022}}</ref> In addition, Tishman Speyer hired [[EverGreene Architectural Arts]] to restore the lobby, and a two-year restoration commenced in 2009.<ref name="nyt-2009-07-26" /> The Rainbow Room closed that year after Rockefeller Center Inc. ended Cipriani's lease,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dominus |first=Susan |date=June 20, 2009 |title=A Farewell to Glamour Atop the Rock |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/nyregion/20bigcity.html |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=December 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210071806/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/nyregion/20bigcity.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the LPC designated the Rainbow Room as an interior landmark in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |last=Barron |first=James |date=October 16, 2012 |title=Rainbow Room Is Given Landmark Status |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/rainbow-room-is-given-landmark-status/|access-date=October 11, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-date=October 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027064818/http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/rainbow-room-is-given-landmark-status/}}</ref> [[Comcast]], which had bought a 51 percent ownership stake in [[NBCUniversal]] in 2009,<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 7, 2009 |title=NBC-Comcast Deal Puts Broadcast TV in Doubt |url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/nbc-comcast-deal-puts-broadcast-tv-in-doubt/ |access-date=March 11, 2022 |website=DealBook}}</ref> bought the remaining 49 percent from GE in 2013.<ref name="nyt-2013-02-25">{{Cite web |last=Slotnik |first=Daniel E. |date=February 25, 2013 |title=Awaiting the Dimming of G.E. at 30 Rock |url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/awaiting-the-dimming-of-g-e-s-presence-at-30-rock/ |access-date=March 11, 2022 |website=City Room}}</ref> The sale included NBC's portion of 30 Rockefeller Plaza and the building's naming rights;<ref name="nyt-2013-02-25" /> by then, GE occupied only two stories in the building.<ref name="wsj-2014-09-30">{{Cite news |date=September 30, 2014 |title=GE Signs Begin to be Removed |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-METROB-21712 |access-date=March 11, 2022 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311232231/https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-METROB-21712 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Rainbow Room reopened in October 2014 under new management,<ref>{{cite news |date=October 5, 2014 |title=Rainbow Room reopens at top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza after five years |work=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/rainbow-room-reopens-top-30-rockefeller-plaza-article-1.1964362 |access-date=December 10, 2017 |via=Associated Press |archive-date=November 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108035805/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/rainbow-room-reopens-top-30-rockefeller-plaza-article-1.1964362 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the rotunda above the lobby was restored starting in 2014.<ref name="nyt-2014-06-25" /> In June 2014, the LPC granted Comcast permission to modify 30 Rockefeller Plaza.<ref name="Curbed2014">{{cite web |date=June 18, 2014 |title=Bid Farewell to 30 Rock's GE Sign; 'Comcast' Will Top the Tower |url= http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/06/18/bid_farewell_to_30_rocks_ge_sign_comcast_will_top_the_tower.php#more |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923091143/http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/06/18/bid_farewell_to_30_rocks_ge_sign_comcast_will_top_the_tower.php#more |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |access-date=June 19, 2014 |url-status=live |website=Curbed.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Fernandez |first=Bob |date=June 20, 2014 |title=New York panel approves Comcast logo atop 30 Rock |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |url=http://articles.philly.com/2014-06-20/business/50713989_1_nbcuniversal-rockefeller-center-comcast |access-date=September 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223548/http://articles.philly.com/2014-06-20/business/50713989_1_nbcuniversal-rockefeller-center-comcast |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Comcast planned to rename the building and replace the signage on the roof.<ref name="Curbed2014" /><ref name="nyt-2014-06-13" /> Additionally, a new marquee was added to the Sixth Avenue entrance, advertising it as the home of ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon]]''.<ref name="Curbed2014" /><ref name="nyt-2014-11-25">{{Cite news |last=Carter |first=Bill |date=November 25, 2014 |title=Jimmy Fallon's Name Goes on 30 Rock Marquee |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/arts/television/jimmy-fallons-name-goes-on-30-rock-marquee.html |access-date=March 12, 2022}}</ref> The GE signage was dismantled starting in September 2014,<ref name="wsj-2014-09-30" /> and 30 Rockefeller Plaza was officially renamed the Comcast Building on July 1, 2015.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 1, 2015 |title=30 Rock Officially Renamed Comcast Building; NBC Peacock Lights Up NYC Skyline for First Time in History |website=NBCNewYork.com |publisher=NBCUniversal Media LLC |url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/comcast-building-30-rock-nbc-peacock-311241431.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408234110/http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/comcast-building-30-rock-nbc-peacock-311241431.html |archive-date=April 8, 2016 |url-status=live |access-date=April 14, 2016}}</ref> Toy store [[FAO Schwarz]] opened a store at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in November 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last=Thomas |first=Lauren |date=November 16, 2018 |title=FAO Schwarz makes its return to New York. Here's what its new store looks like inside |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/16/fao-schwarz-is-back-in-new-york-heres-what-its-new-store-looks-like.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116152045/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/16/fao-schwarz-is-back-in-new-york-heres-what-its-new-store-looks-like.html |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=November 17, 2018 |website=CNBC }}</ref><ref name="CBS News 2018 c774">{{cite web | title=FAO Schwarz, iconic toy store, opening anew in Manhattan | website=CBS News | date=November 16, 2018 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fao-schwarz-iconic-toy-store-opening-anew-in-manhattan-today-2018-11-16/ | access-date=June 21, 2023 | archive-date=June 21, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621151936/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fao-schwarz-iconic-toy-store-opening-anew-in-manhattan-today-2018-11-16/ | url-status=live }}</ref> In April 2022, the LPC approved Tishman Speyer's proposal to install additional visitor attractions at Top of the Rock.<ref name="The Architect's Newspaper 2022" /><ref name="designboom architecture & design magazine 2022" /> One of the attractions, the Beam, opened in December 2023,<ref name="Rahmanan 2023 o001" /><ref name="Team 2023 z402" /> while the Skylift ride opened in October 2024.<ref name="Rahmanan s650" /><ref name="Ginsburg y046" /> That December, Tishman Speyer requested the LPC's permission to replace the neon signage at the building's 49th and 50th Street entrances with LED signage.<ref>{{cite web | title=Why the iconic neon lights at 30 Rockefeller Plaza could soon be going away | website=NBC New York | date=December 18, 2024 | url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/manhattan/neon-lights-30-rockefeller-plaza-changing/6079072/ | access-date=December 20, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Bonanos | first=Christopher | title=The Slow Death of Neon | website=Curbed | date=December 17, 2024 | url=https://www.curbed.com/article/rockefeller-center-neon-sign-preservation-landmarks.html | access-date=December 20, 2024}}</ref> == Impact <span class="anchor" id="Reception"></span> == {{see also|Rockefeller Center#Reception}} As Rockefeller Center was being developed, ''Variety'' magazine wrote: "The main building of the Rockefeller Center group is a notable structure and forms a fitting climax to half a decade of super-skyscraper construction, which, with this one exception, was abruptly brought to an end" by the 1929 crash.<ref name="p1529011229" /> A ''[[Hearst's International]]'' magazine article described the RCA Building as "soaring to an incredible petrous peak", with the sunken plaza "shimmering in brilliant floodlight" at its base.<ref name="p1973996442">{{Cite magazine |last=McIntyre |first=O O. |date=Dec 1934 |title=Rockefeller Center (Radio City): Scenes from this Cosmopolitan World |volume=97 |issue=6 |pages=34–35 |id={{proQuest|1973996442}} |magazine=Hearst's International Combined with Cosmopolitan}}</ref> After 30 Rockefeller Plaza was completed, the [[Federal Writers' Project]] observed in 1939: "Its huge, broad, flat north and south facades, its almost unbroken mass, and its thinness are the features that impelled observers to nickname it the 'Slab'."{{sfn|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|p=650}}{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1939|p=336}} According to the [[Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat]], the RCA Building's massing "marked the emergence of a new form of the skyscraper", namely the slab-like form.<ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p." /> Architectural critic [[Paul Goldberger]] said, "Nothing is more attuned to romantic fantasies of New York than the RCA Building's black granite lobby, the Rainbow Room's ornamental framing of a 70-story view...".<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Randall |date=February 4, 1982 |title=Rockefeller Center May Refinance or Sell A Part-Interest in the Original Buildings |page=52 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|134778211}}}}</ref> Goldberger wrote that the RCA Building's form was "made sumptuous by its mounting setbacks", contrasting with the "smaller and bulkier" International Building and other structures in the complex.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=June 17, 1982 |title=Rockefeller Center at 50: a Model of Urban Design; An Appraisal |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/17/nyregion/rockefeller-center-at-50-a-model-of-urban-design-an-appraisal.html |access-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226013035/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/17/nyregion/rockefeller-center-at-50-a-model-of-urban-design-an-appraisal.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2009, a ''[[Crain's New York]]'' reporter wrote: "NBC, which owns its space, lends the building a certain panache. So do the art, Christmas tree, gardens and immaculate condition of the center."<ref name="p219175149" /> As the central building of Rockefeller Center, 30 Rockefeller Plaza is widely known.<ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p." /> The building was commonly nicknamed 30 Rock,<ref name="p219175149" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kleinfield |first=N. R. |date=July 13, 1980 |title=Fred Silverman's NBC: It's Still Out of Focus; Why NBC Is Locked in the Cellar |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/07/13/archives/fred-silvermans-nbc-its-still-out-of-focus-why-nbc-is-locked-in-the.html |access-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226031433/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/07/13/archives/fred-silvermans-nbc-its-still-out-of-focus-why-nbc-is-locked-in-the.html |url-status=live }}</ref> which inspired the title of the NBC [[sitcom]] ''[[30 Rock]]'' (2006–2013).<ref>{{cite magazine |date=August 24, 2006 |title=New York–Based Television Programs |magazine=[[Backstage (magazine)|Backstage]] |url=http://www.backstage.com/bso/rossreports/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003118275 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014912/http://www.backstage.com/bso/rossreports/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003118275 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |access-date=February 23, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=March 19, 2008 |title=''30 Rock'' on location |work=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/galleries/30_rock_on_location/30_rock_on_location.html |url-status=dead |access-date=May 23, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528134050/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/galleries/30_rock_on_location/30_rock_on_location.html |archive-date=May 28, 2008}}</ref> Additionally, numerous movies and TV series that feature Rockefeller Center in their [[establishing shot]]s have used imagery of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.{{sfn|Alleman|2013|pp=56–57}} Such films have included ''[[Nothing Sacred (film)|Nothing Sacred]]'' in 1937, ''[[How to Marry a Millionaire]]'' in 1953, and ''[[Manhattan (1979 film)|Manhattan]]'' in 1979.{{sfn|Alleman|2013|p=57}} Two films have also discussed the destruction of Rivera's ''Man at the Crossroads'' in the lobby: ''[[The Cradle Will Rock]]'' in 1999 and ''[[Frida (2002 film)|Frida]]'' in 2002.{{sfn|Alleman|2013|p=58}} [[Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon]], an attraction at the [[Universal Studios Florida]] amusement park, is also based on 30 Rockefeller Plaza's design.<ref name="Levine Today 2017">{{cite web |last=Levine |first=Arthur |title=Jimmy Fallon's Race Through New York ride review |website=USA TODAY |date=May 11, 2017 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/theme-parks/2017/05/11/jimmy-fallon-race-through-new-york-universal-studios/101527178/ |access-date=March 12, 2022 |archive-date=April 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408062521/https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/theme-parks/2017/05/11/jimmy-fallon-race-through-new-york-universal-studios/101527178/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Several later buildings were inspired by 30 Rockefeller Plaza and its design features, including [[525 William Penn Place]] in Pittsburgh (also designed by Harrison & Abramovitz),<ref name="Newhouse 1989 p. ">{{cite book | last=Newhouse | first=Victoria | title=Wallace K. Harrison, Architect | publisher=Rizzoli | year=1989 | isbn=978-0-8478-1071-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3-NHPgAACAAJ | language=en | page=150 | postscript=none | access-date=December 17, 2023 | archive-date=December 17, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217191620/https://books.google.com/books?id=3-NHPgAACAAJ | url-status=live }}, cited in {{cite report|url=https://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/Pittsburgh_Central_Downtown_NR_Nomination-4.pdf|title=Pittsburgh Central Downtown Historic District (Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation)|date=May 2, 2013|publisher=[[National Register of Historic Places]], [[National Park Service]]|page=10|access-date=December 17, 2023}}</ref> the [[Wells Fargo Center (Minneapolis)|Wells Fargo Center]] in Minneapolis,<ref name="Lileks 2015 j206">{{cite web | last=Lileks | first=James | title=Streetscapes: These unbuilt buildings would have changed the Minneapolis skyline | website=Star Tribune | date=October 25, 2015 | url=https://www.startribune.com/streetscapes-these-unbuilt-buildings-would-have-changed-the-skyline/336321091/ | access-date=December 16, 2023 | archive-date=December 16, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216163841/https://www.startribune.com/streetscapes-these-unbuilt-buildings-would-have-changed-the-skyline/336321091/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=nyt-1989-01-15>{{Cite news|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|date=January 15, 1989|title=Architecture View; Cesar Pelli Seeks the Perfect Skyscraper|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/15/arts/architecture-view-cesar-pelli-seeks-the-perfect-skyscraper.html|access-date=December 17, 2023|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216201330/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/15/arts/architecture-view-cesar-pelli-seeks-the-perfect-skyscraper.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[NBC Tower]] in Chicago.<ref name="Gapp Architecture critic 1989 c416">{{cite web | last=Gapp | first=Paul | title=NBC's 40-story Peacock | website=Chicago Tribune | date=April 23, 1989 | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-04-23-8904060535-story.html | access-date=December 16, 2023 | archive-date=December 16, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216163841/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-04-23-8904060535-story.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=nyt-1989-10-29>{{Cite news|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|date=October 29, 1989|title=Architecture View; In Chicago, A New Romanticism|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/29/arts/architecture-view-in-chicago-a-new-romanticism.html|access-date=December 19, 2023|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231219005136/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/29/arts/architecture-view-in-chicago-a-new-romanticism.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In particular, the critics [[Paul Goldberger]] and [[Rick Kogan]] wrote that the NBC Tower's buttresses, setbacks, and vertical stripes were similar to those at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.<ref name=nyt-1989-10-29/><ref name="Kogan 1989 n836">{{cite web | last=Kogan | first=Rick | title=A Moving Experience | website=Chicago Tribune | date=October 1, 1989 | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-10-01-8901180368-story.html | access-date=December 19, 2023}}</ref> Goldberger also said that the architect [[John Portman]] may have used the RCA Building as an inspiration for San Francisco's [[Embarcadero Center]] and Atlanta's [[Peachtree Center]] but that, in both cases, Portman's towers "look more like sliding planes than the sumptuous, carved-out mountain that the RCA Building's form evokes".<ref name=nyt-1989-01-15/> {{Gallery |title=Buildings inspired by 30 Rockefeller Plaza |width=120 |height=180 |align=center |whitebg=no |captionstyle=text-align:center; |File:525_William_Penn_Place_Pittsburgh.JPG |[[525 William Penn Place]] |alt1=525 William Penn Place |File:NBC_Tower_070723.jpg |[[NBC Tower]] |alt2=NBC Tower |File:Wells_Fargo_Center_from_Foshay.jpg |[[Wells Fargo Center (Minneapolis)|Wells Fargo Center]] |alt3=Wells Fargo Center |File:View_of_Peachtree_Center,_Atlanta,_GA_(47474200151).jpg |[[Peachtree Center]] |alt4=Peachtree Center |File:Embarcadero Center San Francisco 2019.jpg |[[Embarcadero Center]] |alt5=Embarcadero Center }} == See also == {{Portal|Architecture|New York City|NRHP}} * [[Architecture of New York City]] ** [[Art Deco architecture of New York City]] * [[List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets]] * [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets]] == References == === Notes === {{Notelist}} === Citations === {{reflist}} === Sources === {{refbegin|30em}} * {{cite report |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1448.pdf |access-date= |title=30 Rockefeller Plaza Interior |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |date=April 23, 1985 |ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1985}} |archive-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421135001/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1448.pdf |url-status=live }} * {{cite report |last=Adams |first=Janet |url=http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/1985RockefellerCenter.pdf |title=Rockefeller Center |year=1985 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |access-date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107113311/http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/1985RockefellerCenter.pdf |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |url-status=dead }} * {{cite book |last=Alleman |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f_0Z5SxTKLkC&pg=PA57 |title=New York: The Movie Lover's Guide: The Ultimate Insider Tour of Movie New York |publisher=Crown |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-8041-3778-2 }} * {{cite book |last1=Alpern |first1=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xa9aAAAAYAAJ |title=New York's Architectural Holdouts |last2=Durst |first2=Seymour B. |publisher=Dover Publications |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-486-29425-4 |location=Mineola, NY }} * {{cite book |last=Balfour |first=Alan |title=Rockefeller Center: Architecture as Theater |url=https://archive.org/details/rockefellercente0000balf |url-access=registration |publisher=McGraw-Hill, Inc. |year=1978 |isbn=978-0070034808 }} * {{cite fednyc}} * {{cite magazine |last=Glancy |first=Dorothy J. |date=January 1, 1992 |title=Preserving Rockefeller Center |url=http://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1320&context=facpubs |publisher=[[Santa Clara University School of Law]] |magazine=24 Urb. Law. 423 |access-date=December 5, 2017 |archive-date=March 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307024214/http://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1320&context=facpubs |url-status=live }} * {{cite book |last1=Harr |first1=John Ensor |first2=Peter J. |last2=Johnson |title=The Rockefeller Century: Three Generations of America's Greatest Family |url=https://archive.org/details/rockefellercentu00harr |url-access=registration |location=New York, NY |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |year=1988 |isbn=9780684189369 |ref=none }} * {{cite book |last1=Karp |first1=Walter |last2=Gill |first2=Brendan |title=The Center: A History and Guide to Rockefeller Center |publisher=[[American Heritage Publishing Company]], Inc. |year=1982 |isbn=978-0442247485}} * {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OpeNSAfYASoC&pg=PA9 |title=Privately Owned Public Space: The New York City Experience |last1=Kayden |first1=Jerold S. |author2=The Municipal Art Society of New York |publisher=Wiley |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-471-36257-9 |ref={{harvid|Kayden|Municipal Art Society|2000}} }} * {{cite book |last=Krinsky |first=Carol H. |author-link=Carol Herselle Krinsky |title=Rockefeller Center |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1978 |isbn=978-0-19-502404-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7xlDAQAAIAAJ |access-date= |archive-date=May 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527182855/https://books.google.com/books?id=7xlDAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live }} * {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=Bruce |title=Building New York: The Rise and Rise of the Greatest City on Earth |publisher=Universe |date=2005 |isbn=0-7893-1362-6 |oclc=61915976}} * {{cite book |last=Okrent |first=Daniel |title=[[Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center]] |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-14200-177-6 |author-link=Daniel Okrent}} * {{cite report |last=Postal |first=Matthew A. |date=October 16, 2012 |title=Rainbow Room |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/2505.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215043348/https://www1.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/2505.pdf |archive-date=February 15, 2017 |access-date= |publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] }} * {{cite magazine |date=Oct 1933 |title=RCA Building, Rockefeller Center, New York |url=https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1933-01-06.pdf |volume=99 |pages= |ref={{harvid|Architectural Forum|1933}} |magazine=Architectural Forum |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214011258/https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1933-01-06.pdf |url-status=live }} * {{cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Donald |title=The Architecture of New York City: Histories and Views of Important Structures, Sites, and Symbols |publisher=J. Wiley |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-471-01439-3 |oclc=45730295}} * {{cite book |last=Robins |first=Anthony W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cnC6DgAAQBAJ |title=New York Art Deco: A Guide to Gotham's Jazz Age Architecture |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4384-6396-4 |series=Excelsior Editions |oclc=953576510 |access-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-date=July 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701065358/https://books.google.com/books?id=cnC6DgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }} * {{cite book |last=Roussel |first=Christine |title=The Art of Rockefeller Center |url=https://archive.org/details/guidetoartofr00chri |url-access=registration |location=New York, NY |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |date=May 17, 2006 |isbn=978-0-3930-6082-9 }} * {{Cite New York 1930}} * {{Cite New York 2000}} {{refend}} == External links == {{Commons category}} * [https://www.rockefellercenter.com/ Rockefeller Center website] * [http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/ Top of the Rock website] {{Rockefeller Center}} {{Midtown North, Manhattan}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:1933 establishments in New York City]] [[Category:1930s architecture in the United States]] [[Category:Art Deco architecture in Manhattan]] [[Category:Art Deco skyscrapers]] [[Category:Buildings of the Rockefeller family]] [[Category:Comcast]] [[Category:Commercial buildings completed in 1933]] [[Category:Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan]] [[Category:Historic district contributing properties in Manhattan]] [[Category:Mass media company headquarters in the United States]] [[Category:NBC]] [[Category:NBC buildings]] [[Category:NBCUniversal]] [[Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan]] [[Category:New York City interior landmarks]] [[Category:Rockefeller Center]] [[Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Manhattan]] [[Category:Telecommunications buildings on the National Register of Historic Places]] [[Category:Television studios in the United States]]
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