Art, Media Converge at Rockefeller Center

Standing among the Art Deco skyscrapers towering over Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan, one can experience financier and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller’s Promethean achievement—a decorative space for all to enjoy. Rockefeller Center is located just a few blocks from APA’s Annual Meeting hotels.

Completed in 1933, the 22-acre complex is made up of 19 buildings that surround an ornate plaza lined with flags from 200 United Nations’ member countries. Architectural embellishments, such as Lee Lawrie’s Art Deco “light and sound” panels on the RCA building, accompany many other notable works of art on the plaza. Perhaps the best-known (and most photographed) is the 18-foot, eight-ton, gilded cast bronze sculpture of Prometheus created by Paul Manship in 1934. The sculpture, which symbolizes human potential, is inscribed with the following words: “Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends.”

The center is one of the most highly trafficked parts of the city. It draws an estimated 470,000 people daily—a number that grows to nearly 800,000 during the holiday season when the lower plaza becomes an ice skating rink and the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is on display.

Rockefeller Center offers both guided and audio tours of the center’s contemporary and historic landmarks. The older side of the center includes Radio City Music Hall, in addition to the Rainbow Room and NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

At NBC Studios, visitors can tour the production sets of popular programs such as “Saturday Night Live,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” Tours, which vary daily depending on which sets are open to the public, depart every 20 minutes from 8:20 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8:20 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Visitors can order tickets to view live recordings of shows; some shows have lottery drawings for free tickets or last-minute deals. All NBC ticket information for its New York shows is available by calling (212) 664-3056.

The newly opened observation decks on the 67th, 69th, and 70th floors of 30 Rockefeller Plaza provide great views of Central Park and Manhattan’s midtown and downtown skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building.

Visitors can trace the evolution of television at the nearby Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio). With locations in New York and Los Angeles, the Paley Center is home to a vast public collection of television and radio recordings from almost 100 years of television and radio history, including news, public affairs programs, documentaries, performing arts programs, children’s shows, sports, comedy and variety shows, and commercials. The center also hosts screenings, public education events, and guest lecturers.

The center, located at 25 West 52nd Street, is open on Wednesday and Friday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. and noon to 8 p.m. on Thursdays.

Beyond sight-seeing, Rockefeller Center has many choices for food and shopping. Casual eateries as well as upscale restaurants and dessert cafes line the plaza. Shopping options abound within Rockefeller Center: bath and beauty supply shops, jewelry stores, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s gift store outpost, among many others. At 611 Fifth Avenue, the 10th-floor Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store operates Louis Vuitton and Chanel boutiques. It has just opened the first U.S. Christian Louboutin shop big enough to have its own 10022-SHOE floor ZIP code.

No day is the same at Rockefeller Center, as there is always something new happening. Maybe you will catch a street performance or just spend time people watching, enjoying the spring weather in New York City’s iconic square. ■

Rockefeller Center is located in midtown Manhattan between 48th and 51st streets and Fifth and Sixth avenues. For more information, click here. To obtain more information on touring NBC Studios and to purchase tickets, visit thetouratnbcstudios.com. For more information on the Paley Center for Media, visit paleycenter.org.