Rockefeller Center Plaza

Conceived and built by John D. Rockefeller Jr., Rockefeller Center Plaza is an icon of architecture and history. In 1928, Rockefeller leased the twenty-two acre property from Columbia University in the heart of Mid Town Manhattan. Construction of the complex began two years later. The building of Rockefeller Center represented one of the largest construction projects of the modern era. Today, Rockefeller Center is a center of media and corporate activity.

The Rockefeller Center complex is comprised of 19 buildings located along Fifth Avenue between 48th and 51st streets. Currently, Rockefeller Center includes 19 buildings, though the original plaza was made up of 14 buildings. The additional buildings were constructed during the 1960s and 1970s. Following the Art Deco and Modern styles of the day, the original architecture reflected other Art Deco icons like the Empire State and Chrysler buildings.

Construction of the original buildings was completed in 1939 and Rockefeller Center has since become the home for famous works of art, entertainment venues and a long list of famous companies. In a little known bit of Rockefeller Center history, the World War II predecessor of the today’s Central Intelligence Agency, the Office of Strategic Services, OSS, and the British intelligence service shared an office.

Art and Controversy

Rockefeller Center, which hosts a collection of famous artwork and statuary, has been the scene of some controversy over the years. In a major political confrontation, the artist and muralist Diego Rivera ran afoul of the anti-socialist fervor of the time. In 1932, Nelson Rockefeller, the son of John D. Rockefeller Jr., commissioned Rivera to create a large fresco in the entrance of what was then the RCA Building.

The fresco, which Rivera had dubbed “Man at the Crossroads”, covered some 1100 square feet of wall space in the building’s lobby. Rivera included images of the Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin, setting off a firestorm of controversy. Rockefeller insisted that the image by replaced and Rivera refused. Unable to reach a compromise, Rockefeller eventually had the fresco destroyed. The RCA Building was eventually renamed the GE Building, after General Electric acquired RCA in the late 1980’s.

GE had also acquired the National Broadcasting Company, NBC, and the NBC radio and television broadcast studios were relocated to 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Around the same time, Columbia University sold the property to a management group.

The RKO Theater was one the original 14 buildings and the only one of the original structures to be torn down and replaced. Razed in 1954, a high-rise office building stands in its place. The most famous and iconic buildings in the Center is Radio City Music Hall. Radio City, as it is most often referred to, is home to the world-famous Rockettes dancing troupe. Radio City is also a popular performance venue for a list of well-known performers and artists.

The View from 30 Rock

Known as the Top of the Rock, the observation at Rockefeller Center sits 850 feet above Midtown Manhattan. Visitors are treated to a spectacular, panoramic view of New York City. The observation originally opened in 1933 though it was shut down for a extensive renovation in 2005. The Top of the Rock, like the observation deck at the Empire State Building, is a popular tourist attraction.