Situated between 48th and 51st streets in Midtown Manhattan, the Rockefeller Center is a complex of commercial buildings that have become one of New York’s most iconic landmarks. The original plan of John D. Rockefeller Jr was to build a performance venue in conjunction with the Metropolitan Opera, but the stock market crash of 1929 caused the arts organisation to withdraw, and he went ahead with financing its development himself.
The Rockefeller Centre is bounded by 5th and 6th Avenues and contains the offices of some of the United States biggest companies, TV studios and mega-stores like the Nintendo World Store. It’s renowned for its Art Deco office buildings, juxtaposed against modern skyscrapers, with the most famous of these being the 30 Rockefeller Plaza with its 70th floor Top of the Rock observation deck which boasts outstanding 360-degree panoramic views across New York City. The iconic Radio City Music Hall lies on one edge, while the Rockefeller ice rink is one of the city’s most popular winter attractions. The centre was designed with a dedicated approach to public art, and acclaimed sculptures are scattered throughout the complex, including Isamu Noguchi’s nine-tonne stainless steel panel,News, that stands above the entrance to the former Associated Press Building. Each year at the end of November, the Rockefeller Centre attracts thousands of people, and thousands more on the live broadcast, as the 22-metre tall Norwegian Spruce Christmas Tree is officially lit, marking the start of New York City’s festive season.
The easiest way to access the Rockefeller Centre is from the Rockefeller Metro stop at 47-50th Streets. There’s also numerous buses which run along both 5th and 6th Avenues with stops right outside the complex.
During the mid-1930s, there were plans to rent the last of the four European buildings of the Rockefeller Centre to German businesses, but after John D. Rockefeller Jr was advised of Hitler’s Nazi philosophy, this was ruled out. During World War II it instead became the location of the British intelligence and security coordination, together with the office for Allen Dulles, head of what would later become the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).