By 1939, The Rockefeller Center was attracting more than 125,000 visitors everyday. In it's own right it would have been the 51st largest city in the US. The "city within a city" was the defining creation of John D Rockefeller Jr, a complex of 19 commercial buildings which covers 22 acres and is now a declared National Historic Landmark. The site was originally earmarked for the development of an opera house with the formation of a syndicate which included the Metropolitan Opera. The stock market crash led to the withdrawal of the Opera and for Rockefeller to fund the new project entirely from his own pocket and not without risk. The original project comprised 14 buildings with a further 5 being added during the 1970s.
On May 17th 1930 construction began of the original 14 buildings which were designed in the art deco style which has become synonymous with many New York City buildings and when opened in May 1933, although not entirely finished, was true to the designing team's belied that art was the act of good citizenship. Included in the complex was the Radio City Music Hall which was marketed as the largest and most opulent music hall in the world. The music hall's interior is one of the world's greatest examples of art deco and after a slow start became the city's largest attraction, seating over 6,000 people in the music hall itself.
The largest building in the complex is the 872ft tall skyscraper at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (GE Building) which was the setting for the original "lunchtime atop a skyscraper" photograph showing construction workers having their lunch on a steel girder. The building's observation deck "Top of the Rock" is a major tourist attraction on the top of a building which is the headquarters of NBC and houses most of the network's New York studios and hosted many well known television shows including Late Night with David Letterman.
The Center avoided major controversy in the mid 1930's when rather ironically, Ivy Lee, who is largely credited with the founding of public relations, attempted to rent the last of the four European buildings out to German commercial interests until Jr put the brakes on the deal learning of the Nazis march towards war. The building subsequently house the US operations of British intelligence with room 3603 becoming the principle operations centre for allied intelligence.
The Center has become one of the best loved destinations in New York City never at anytime more than Christmas with the famous Christmas tree lighting ceremony always attended by well known names and the ice rink offering visitors the chance to get involved in one of the city's favourite winter pastimes.
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