Rockefeller Center
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Architect: Cross & Cross
Year Completed: 1931
Location: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, New York
Style: Art Deco
Rockefeller Center is considered a city within a city." Architect Raymond Hood came up with the concept of a collection of buildings where people could work, shop and relax without driving anywhere. The concept would not only offer a desirable place to live, it would also help decrease Manhattan traffic problems.
The RCA Building, now known as the GE Building, was the first building completed in Rockefeller Center and at 70 stories is the tallest building. Typical of Art Deco skyscrapers, the walls are made of Indiana limestone. In front of the building is the sculpture of Prometheus by Paul Manship.
In front of the statue is the famous ice skating rink that opened on Christmas day in 1936. Although it was initially meant to be temporary, it was so popular that it eventually became a permanent part of Rockefeller Center.
Rockefeller Center is highly Art Deco with murals and sculptures throughout the collection of buildings. By 1940, Rockefeller Center was made up of 14 buildings. By 1973, this number had increased to 21.
The NBC Tower in Chicago, completed in 1989, is patterned after the RCA Building.