subject: Rockefeller Center New York [print this page] Rockefeller Center New York Rockefeller Center New York
Rockefeller Center is located in the middle of the Manhattan between 48th and 51st Streets. It spreads over the whole block between 5th and 6th avenue. It is a large complex with about nineteen commercial buildings. Some prominent landmarks of the Rockefeller Center include the Rainbow Restaurant, the Skating Rink and the Music Hall and Restaurant.
History
John D. Rockefeller leased the land for the project of building an opera house for Metropolitan Opera Company. In 1929, due to sock market crash he changed his mind and decided to build an office complex instead of opera house. The construction of the fourteen buildings of Art Deco design began in 1931.
Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was the first tenant of the complex. RCA was transformed to National Broadcasting Company (NBC) later and it sold the building to General Electric (GE) and the building was renamed to GE Building.
Art
You will find several masterpieces at Rockefeller Center. It features more than one hundred masterpieces of art. One such art work is the "Prometheus Bringing Fire to Mankind" by Paul Manship. There is another masterpiece of art by Lee Lowrie, called Statue of Atlas.
Visiting Rockefeller Center
Visiting a Rockefeller Center is certainly a great experience. It has a lot of attractions for the tourists. Besides this, the center organizes interesting activities for the tourists. Let us a brief view of activities available for tourists.
The GE Building and NBC Studios
The GE Building is 872 feet high and is a great place to visit. It has a NBC headquarter on 71st floor. Guided tours are offered daily for the tourists to explore different parts of the building. Tour will help visitors to explore the television studio.
Holiday Seasons
With the introduction of the Holidays Seasons, The Center hosts certain activities between the month of December and January. The skating rink is a popular feature that was established in 1936. During the Christmas Season, this rink is filled with a lot of people.
The Center has a famous tradition of planting a Christmas tree as a symbol of Christmas season. This tradition was started in 1931 with the completion of the construction work of the Rockefeller Center. The giant Christmas tree has the height of about 75 to 100 foot and is covered with more than thirty thousand lights.
Radio City Music Hall
It is considered as the world's largest theatre that covers the largest space in the world. Every year, this is visited by over three hundred million visitors. It also offers guided tour from Monday to Sunday.
Top of the Rock Tour
This tour offers a panoramic view of the New York City from the observations deck. This deck is located on the 70th floor of 30 Rockefeller plazas.
Rockefeller Center Tour
This tour offers visitors a comprehensive tour of the Rockefeller Center. During the tour, the visitors are guided to different buildings and garden of the complex. The visitors also visit a space called "city within a city" during the tour.
