Located on 22 acres in the center of Midtown Manhattan, the Rockefeller Center complex spans six square blocks between Fifth Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue) between 48th Street and 51st Street.
There are a total of 19 buildings in Rockefeller Center – 14 original Art Deco style office buildings built during the 1930s, one office building on 51st Street completed in 1947, and four office towers along the west side of Avenue of Americas that were constructed during the 1960s and 1970s.
Six Interesting Facts About Rockefeller Center
- Widely known for the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, a tradition that began in 1931;
- Well known for its ice-skating rink, adjacent to the NBC studios;
- Employed over 40,000 construction workers during the Great Depression;
- Encompassing a six-square-block area, Rockefeller Center has its own dedicated zip codes, its own subway station, and an underground concourse the connects many of the 19 buildings;
- In 1985 Rockefeller Center was declared a New York City landmark and a National Historic Landmark in 1987;
- Rockefeller Center is also home to vastly diverse artwork, Art Deco sculptures, such as Atlas in the plaza of the International Building, Prometheus in the central sunken plaza of the complex, and Jose Maria Sert’s American Progress sculpture in the main lobby of 30 Rock.
The Original 14 Buildings At Rockefeller Center
1 Rockefeller Plaza: 604,973 square feet of Class A space in 34 stories, built in 1937, originally known as the Time-Life Building.
1 Rockefeller Plaza
10 Rockefeller Plaza: 361,474 square feet of Class A space in 17 stories. The tower was completed in 1939 and is home to the “Today Show” studios.
10 Rockefeller Plaza
30 Rockefeller Plaza: 2.9 million square feet of Class A+ space, in 70 stories. Built in 1932, currently known as the Comcast Building, nicknamed “30 Rock” and home to the headquarters of NBC. 1250 Avenue of the Americas serves as the western annex of 30 Rock, was completed in 1935, and was originally known as the RCA Building West.
30 Rockefeller Plaza
50 Rockefeller Plaza: 516,295 square feet of Class A space in 15 stories. Built in 1932, formerly known as the Associated Press Building, “50 Rock” is the only building in Rockefeller Center built to the outer limits of its lot line.
50 Rockefeller Plaza
1230 Avenue of the Americas: 770, 282 square feet of Class A space in 21 stories. Built in 1937 and known as the Simon & Schuster Building.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
1270 Avenue of the Americas: 528,671 square feet of Class A space in 31 stories. Completed in 1932 and originally known as the RKO Building. 1260 Avenue of the Americas occupies the southwestern corner of the block between 50th and 51st Streets and is home to Radio City Music Hall, the only theatre remaining in the Rockefeller complex.
1260, 1270 Avenue of the Americas, Radio City Music Hall
600 Fifth Avenue: 495,876 square feet of Class A space in 27 stories. Built in 1950 and originally known as the Sinclair Oil Building.
600 Fifth Avenue
610 Fifth Avenue: 142,541 square feet of Class A space in 7 stories. Built in 1937 and known as the La Maison Francaise building. A spectacular bronze relief hangs tall about the entrance, in salute to the cultural exchange between the United States and France.
610 Fifth Avenue, “La Maison Francaise”
620 Fifth Avenue: 143,752 square feet of Class A space in 7 stories. Built in 1932 and known as the British Empire Building. An artistic 200-foot promenade with granite pools, fountains and raised flower beds links the two buildings and leads pedestrians to the sunken plaza that is home to the world-famous Prometheus sculpture.
620 FIfth Avenue, “British Empire Building”
45 Rockefeller Plaza (630 Fifth Avenue): 1,440,000 square feet of Class A space in 39 stories. The tower was completed in 1933 and is known as the International Building. 626 Fifth Avenue encompasses 120,000 square feet of mixed-use space and is the retail wing of the International Building that is known as Palazzo d’Italia. 636 Fifth Avenue, known as the International Building North, offers 120,000 square feet or commercial space.
The Rockefeller Center complex International Building and its two retail wings (Palazzo d’Italia and International Building North), which flank the main building entrance plaza and the Atlas statue
Recent Extensions To Rockefeller Center
75 Rockefeller Plaza: 623,000 square feet of Class A+ space in 33 stories. Built in 1947 and originally known as the Esso Building, then later as the Time Warner Building.
75 Rockefeller Plaza
1211 Avenue of the Americas: 1,938,839 square feet of Class A+ space in 44 stories. Built in 1973 and known as the News Corporation Building.
Newscorp Building, 1211 Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave)
1221 Avenue of the Americas: 2,508,386 square feet of Class A+ space in 50 stories. Built in 1971 and known as the McGraw-Hill Building.
McGraw-Hill Building, 1221 Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave)
1251 Avenue of the Americas: 2,400,000 square feet of Class A+ space in 54 stories. Built in 1970 and formerly known as the Exxon Building.
Exxon Building, 1251 Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave)
1271 Avenue of the Americas: 1,962,900 square feet of Class A+ space in 48 stories. Built in 1961 and also known as the Time-Life Building.
Time-Life Building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave)
The Centerpiece Of Rockefeller Center – 30 Rockefeller Plaza
Nicknamed “30 Rock”, 30 Rockefeller Plaza forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Plaza in the Central Midtown Manhattan office market.
The tower has borne many names throughout its life: known as the “RCA Building” from the time the building was constructed in 1932 until 1988, and subsequently named the “GE Building” until 2015 when it was renamed the “Comcast Building.”
30 Rock is home to the headquarters of the NBC television network, the Rainbow Room restaurant on the 65th floor, and the Top of the Rock observation deck on the 70th floor.
