Construction of Rockefeller Center
The construction of the Rockefeller Center complex in New York City was conceived as an urban renewal project in the late 1920s, spearheaded by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to help revitalize Midtown Manhattan. Rockefeller Center is on one of Columbia University's former campuses and is bounded by Fifth Avenue to the east, Sixth Avenue to the west, 48th Street to the south, and 51st Street to the north. The center occupies 22 acres (8.9 ha) in total, with some 17 million square feet of office space.
Construction progress in December 1933
The Rockefeller Center originated as a plan to replace the old Metropolitan Opera Building (pictured).
John D. Rockefeller Jr., who funded the Met project
The former RCA Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres (89,000 m2) between 48th Street and 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The 14 original Art Deco buildings, commissioned by the Rockefeller family, span the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue, split by a large sunken square and a private street called Rockefeller Plaza. Later additions include 75 Rockefeller Plaza across 51st Street at the north end of Rockefeller Plaza, and four International Style buildings on the west side of Sixth Avenue.
View from the northeast of 30 Rockefeller Plaza at the heart of the complex
Rockefeller Center originated as a plan to replace the old Metropolitan Opera House (pictured).
Construction progress in December 1933
The iconic photograph Lunch atop a Skyscraper depicts workers resting for a meal during the construction of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.