Rockefeller Center in New York. Rockefeller Center, New York, USA: description, photo, where it is on the map, how to get there History of the creation of the complex

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Books

• Rockefellers, Category: Series: Lives of remarkable people Publisher: Young Guard, Buy for 1345 RUR
• Rockefellers, Glagoleva Ekaterina Vladimirovna, Almost two centuries of history of the Rockefeller family, which gave the world industrialists, bankers, politicians, philanthropists and philanthropists, the first billionaire and one of the American vice presidents, is closely... Category: Politicians, businessmen Series: NEXT Publisher:

Each country has its own architectural monuments and attractions. In Europe, these are objects that have come down to our days from antiquity or the Middle Ages, for example, or in Paris.

The USA is a young country, but it also has its own attractions that have gone down in the history of architecture. Rockefeller Center is included in the register of historical monuments of the country and today is the most recognizable entertainment and business complex in the world.

History of the center's construction

Rockefeller Center, the construction of which was in full swing, was, in the opinion of most Americans, a big and expensive gamble. It cost John Davidson Rockefeller Jr. $125 million, which was a fabulous sum at the time.

Situated on almost 9 hectares of land, it consists of 19 buildings united by a common infrastructure and is a real city within a city. The construction was carried out at a difficult time for the country and the construction of buildings of this scale was perceived by many as charity, since more than 40,000 people from 1931 to 1940 were provided with work and could feed their families.

Rockefeller Center (the photo shows the scale of construction) turned Rockefeller into the largest real estate owner in New York and brought in millions of dollars in profits. Today, the country's largest companies rent offices here, and luxury stores occupy the first floors. Everything in this center is designed so that people who work here can also relax, have a good time and do some shopping.

Observation deck

Occupying a significant area, Rockefeller Center (Manhattan) is bordered by such famous streets as 5th Avenue with its expensive shops, 6th Avenue - the main thoroughfare of the island, 47th and 51st streets.

The tallest building in the center has 70 floors and is the second most popular observation deck (the Empire State Building is in the lead, as it is taller). Numerous crowds of tourists come here every day to photograph the sunset or New York.

According to New Yorkers themselves, the Rockefeller Center site is the best place to explore the city, as it offers views of both the best skyscrapers. The view from this building covers 120 blocks, which can be seen from various levels of the observation deck.

The first and second levels are located on the 67th - 68th floors and are glazed. This somewhat spoils the photographs, since reflections on the glass are clearly visible. At the top level, the area is open and represents the top floor of a skyscraper, surrounded by moldings around the perimeter.

You can order a ticket online for a specific time to avoid standing in long lines. Especially many tourists come in the evening to capture how the sun sets over the Hudson.

Famous places in Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center in New York is known all over the world thanks to numerous films with its “participation”. On its territory there is one of the most popular stages in America - Radio City Music Hall with 6,000 seats, where the loudest productions and concerts take place.

Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Elton John and many other celebrities performed in this theater. Performing on this stage is considered a big step in the careers of musicians and theater groups.

Rockefeller Center has been hosting exhibitions since its opening. Even during the Second World War, various social events were held there.

Below the center there is an underground “city” of shops. You can get there by elevators, the cabins of which are located in the pavilion on the street. More than 60,000 people work in the center, there is a post office, a theater and a cinema, schools, offices of doctors, lawyers, its own square and even a waterfall. This center can safely be called a city, since all the services and service centers necessary for a settlement are concentrated in it.

The most popular television programs and news are broadcast from Rockefeller Center. From its earliest days it became a popular New York landmark.

Rockefeller Center in winter

Life in the center calms down only late at night. Residents and guests of the city come here to relax all year round, but most of them come in winter, when the ice skating rink is opened on the site of the summer cafe. Around this site hang the flags of 159 countries that are members of the UN.

The skating rink is a very popular place in winter, so it is very crowded both on the ice and in the spectator seats. The main Christmas tree of the country located here plays an important role in this popularity.

Christmas tree

Since 1936, a Christmas tree has been erected and decorated annually in the center of the Rockefeller complex. She became so popular thanks to photographs in newspapers that people from other states came to see her.

So the tree in this center became the main tree of the country. Newspapers write about where they bought or cut down a tree for the next Christmas and even make reports today. Americans' keen interest in this tradition attracts thousands of tourists every year to celebrate Christmas at Rockefeller Center.

Rockefeller Center today

Today, the complex is home to the offices of the most famous American and foreign companies.

There is a rich “underground” life here with its cafes, restaurants and even a metro station. A working atmosphere reigns here during the day, and night entertainment is represented by numerous theater and cinema venues.

On the memorial plaque you can read what is written at Rockefeller Center. This is in terms of large-scale urban planning, which provided jobs for thousands of people during the Great Depression and was developed by John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Stunning skyscrapers have been erected: the Bank of America Tower, as well as the Twin Towers, which stood here until September 11, 2001 and once captivated the Frenchman Philippe Petit (an ordinary street tightrope walker who pulled his cable between these towers in 1967).

Rockefeller Center occupies a special place. This is exactly what we will talk about.

History of construction

In 1928, during the Great Depression, John Rockefeller Jr. decided to build a “city within a city” - Rockefeller Center. Thanks to this, tens of thousands of people were provided with work during construction.

John bought 22 acres of land in the heart of Manhattan and planned to build 12 identical buildings. The investments were supposed to be colossal - the loan amounted to $65 million! 39 artists were involved in the project.

Raymond Hood was appointed chief architect. It is to him that Rockefeller Center owes its uniqueness. Every little detail was worked out - from wall paintings to decoration.

We must pay tribute to the modesty of John Rockefeller himself: he did not want to give his name to the dream that had come true. This was done at the insistence of one of the advisers in order to attract the attention of interested people, otherwise all the work would have been in vain. Even before the Rockefeller Center opened, crowds of future tenants flocked to the doors.

Rockefeller’s dream came true: a city “grew up” in the city, which occupied 9 hectares of land. If Rockefeller Center had been compared to cities around the world at that time, it would have ranked 51st among them.

Fresco "Man at the Crossroads"

John Rockefeller's youngest son Nelson was only 24 years old when construction began on Rockefeller Center. He was appointed construction manager. Nelson was a serious student of art.

In the central building of the Rockefeller Center, in the lobby, it was planned to create panels with a total area of ​​99 m 2. An artist had to be chosen for such work. A competition was appointed and conditions were set - it had to be a monochrome composition painted on canvas.

Three invitations were sent to America's most prominent artists! All three invitations were rejected. Pablo Picasso did not accept the delegation from Rockefeller at all, Henri Matisse refused, because the topic was not interesting to him, but Diego Rivera, offended by the conditions presented, nevertheless entered into a dialogue.

Nelson’s mother, who followed the work of her favorite artist, took an active part in this dialogue. And all his conditions were accepted! Not a canvas, but a fresco. Not a monochrome composition, but color.

And Rivera began working at the Rockefeller Center. The result stunned everyone! A passionate Mexican, a convinced communist, Diego Rivera, who had the opportunity to visit Moscow at the “October Festival” with Stalin, did not reveal the final result in the sketches.

And the result was the image of V.I. Lenin joining the hands of the workers! There was noise and demonstration - on the capitalist bridgehead - communist propaganda. The artist was paid the required fee, the fresco was draped, and a few months later it was smashed with a hammer.

Opening

In May 1933, Rockefeller Center opened. All kinds of exhibitions were held there, performances by American stars (including Marilyn Monroe), an ice skating rink appeared, and a Christmas tree began to be installed.

The attendance was (and still is) enormous! Already in 1939 there were more than 125 thousand people a day! Rockefeller Center has become a national treasure.

Modern complex

Today, Rockefeller Center has 19 buildings, 14 of which are high-rise buildings. Extravagant and impressive, Rockefeller Center is entirely Art Deco.

In front of the main building there is a statue of Atlas. On his shoulders he holds the heavens (sphere). The axis of this sphere points to the North Star. The height of the statue together with the pedestal is 13.5 meters.

The G-I Building is a 259-meter-high skyscraper, the “heart” of Rockefeller Center. It is called a “slab” for its characteristic shape. On the frieze above the main entrance is a quote from the book of the prophet Isaiah: “Your safe times will come, an abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge.” The G-I Building has an observation deck.

The buildings house the most famous companies not only in America, but throughout the world:

• Radio City Music Hall - this concert hall has existed almost from the very foundation of the center.
• Associated Press is the largest news agency in the world.
• Christie's auction house is the largest in the world! Engaged in the sale of antiques and art objects. Its history dates back to the 18th century.
• Nintendo World Store is a gaming store and not a simple one either (many of its products are exclusive).
• NBC headquarters.

Christmas tree

The first Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center was installed in 1931. It was decorated with tin cans.

Currently, this tree is loved by all of New York. The tree is chosen throughout the year and must be at least 20 meters tall. To decorate such a Christmas tree, 8 km of wires are required, and it is crowned with a star with a diameter of 3 meters.

Rockefeller Center is endowed with an interesting history, which can be partially traced in its photo chronicle. Some photographs are unique. For example, the “lunch on a skyscraper” shot.

Video

Some buildings of Rockefeller Center

Rivera mural

In 1932-1934, America's greatest artist, Mexican Diego Rivera, commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller, created a 99-square-meter mural entitled “Man at the Crossroads,” in which he depicted the May Day demonstration in Moscow on May 1 with the image of Vladimir Lenin. The customer was extremely dissatisfied with this image (in the fresco, Lenin joins the hands of the workers). For some time this fresco was hidden under a curtain, and at the beginning of 1934 it was destroyed by order of the leadership of the Center. Rivera subsequently recreated the fresco in Mexico City, at the Palacio de Bellas Artes opera house.

New Year celebrations

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And, of course, Rockefeller Center. In previous articles we have already become acquainted with most of the symbols of New York, and in this article we will learn more about the most famous office complex in the world - Rockefeller Center.

History of Rockefeller Center

Despite the fact that John Rockefeller Jr. spent most of his life doing charity work, his obsession was creating a “city within a city.” The implementation of the Rockefeller Center project, in part, can be called a charitable event, because... construction began during the Great Depression, providing more than 40,000 jobs.

Rockefeller Center opened in May 1933. Since its opening, this complex has amazed the whole world with its high cost and innovation, just like the grandiose foyer, decorated by contemporary European artists Frank Brangwyn and José Maria Sert.

At the final stage of construction of the Rockefeller Center, a long line formed at its doors, consisting of representatives of famous stores, boutiques and salons wishing to rent space. Some of the first famous tenants of the Rockefeller Center were the French bookstore Librairie de France and the print publication News-Week.

Throughout the 1930s, Rockefeller Center grew rapidly, instilling new traditions. The most popular Christmas tree in the United States was installed on the square, and an ice skating rink was built in 1936. In 1939, the famous complex was visited daily by more than 125 thousand people. If Rockefeller Center had been a city at the time, it would have ranked 51st among the largest cities in the United States.

During the 1940s, Rockefeller Center positioned itself as a venue for New York City's holidays, art exhibitions, dog shows, and other social events. On US Navy Day 1945, more than 8,000 people climbed to the roof of Rockefeller Center to witness the fleet's return to the Hudson River.

In the 1950s, the development of television and film greatly influenced the popularity of Rockefeller Center. The complex was often shown on television, and American stars, including Marilyn Monroe, performed on its square. Also during this period, for the first time on television, a Christmas tree was installed on the Rockefeller Center square. In 1950, the tree was decorated with red wreaths and white plastic balls, creating a cranberry and popcorn effect. The annual change of outfits and television have made the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center the most popular in the United States.

In 1970, the American Institute of Architects declared Rockefeller Center the second most important work of architecture in America, behind Thomas Jefferson University in Virginia.

In 1987, Rockefeller Center was included in the list of US National Historic Monuments. Two years later, the famous office complex was bought by the Japanese company Mitsubishi Group in order to sell it to a group of American investors in 2000 for $1.8 billion.

Initially, the office complex was not supposed to bear the name of its creator, however, one of the advisors of the Rockefeller family convinced John Rockefeller Jr. to associate his name with the name of the new center, because. in his opinion, the name of famous billionaires would easily attract potential tenants.

If Manhattan is considered to be the hallmark of New York, then Rockefeller Center can undoubtedly be called the face of Manhattan. This famous office complex is located in the heart of Manhattan on an area of ​​89,000 square meters. Rockefeller Center consists of 19 buildings housing the most famous companies in America and the world, for example: the game store - Nintendo World Store, the headquarters of the NBC television channel, the world's largest news agency - Associated Press, the famous theater and concert hall Radio City ( Radio City Music Hall), etc.

Dozens of shops, restaurants and various complexes, including a subway station, are located under Rockefeller Center, thus forming an entire underground world. After walking underground, go up to the roof of the GI Building skyscraper, where there is an observation deck that offers a gorgeous view of the entire Manhattan and New York.