30 Rockefeller Plaza

30 Rockefeller Plaza
(Comcast Building)
As the Comcast Building, February 2022
Former namesRCA Building (1933–1988)
GE Building (1988–2015)
Alternative names30 Rock
NBCUniversal Building
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeOffices and television studios (NBC)
Location30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York 10112
Coordinates40°45′32″N 73°58′45″W / 40.75889°N 73.97917°W / 40.75889; -73.97917
Completed1933
OwnerNBCUniversal (floors 2–16)
Tishman Speyer (all other floors)
Height
Roof850 ft (260 m)
Technical details
Floor count66
Floor area2,099,985 sq ft (195,095.0 m2)
Lifts/elevators60
Design and construction
Architect(s)Raymond Hood
DeveloperJohn D. Rockefeller Jr.
Structural engineerEdwards & Hjorth; H.G. Balcom & Associates
Architectural style(s)Modern, Art Deco
DesignatedDecember 23, 1987
Reference no.87002591[1]
Designated entityRockefeller Center
DesignatedApril 23, 1985[2]
Reference no.1446[2]
Designated entityFacade: Rockefeller Center
DesignatedApril 23, 1985[3]
Reference no.1448[3]
Designated entityInterior: Lobby
DesignatedOctober 16, 2012[4]
Reference no.2505[4]
Designated entityInterior: Rainbow Room
References
[5]

30 Rockefeller Plaza (officially the Comcast Building; formerly RCA Building and GE Building) is a skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, United States. Completed in 1933, the 66-story, 850 ft (260 m) building was designed in the Art Deco style by Raymond Hood, Rockefeller Center's lead architect. 30 Rockefeller Plaza was known for its main tenant, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), from its opening in 1933 until 1988 and then for General Electric until 2015, when it was renamed for its current owner, Comcast. The building also houses the headquarters and New York studios of television network NBC; the headquarters is sometimes called 30 Rock, a nickname that inspired the NBC sitcom of the same name. The tallest structure in Rockefeller Center, the building is the 28th tallest in New York City and the 65th tallest in the United States, and was the third tallest building in the world when it opened.

30 Rockefeller Plaza's massing consists of three parts: the main 66-story tower to the east, a windowless section at the center, and a 16-story annex to the west. The building's design conforms with the 1916 Zoning Resolution; it is shaped mostly as a slab with setbacks primarily for aesthetic value. The facade is made of limestone, with granite at the base, as well as about 6,000 windows separated by aluminum spandrels. In addition to its offices and studios, 30 Rockefeller Plaza contains the Rainbow Room restaurant and an observation deck called Top of the Rock. 30 Rockefeller Plaza also includes numerous artworks and formerly contained the mural Man at the Crossroads by Diego Rivera. The entire Rockefeller Center complex is a New York City designated landmark and a National Historic Landmark, and parts of 30 Rockefeller Plaza's interior are also New York City landmarks.

30 Rockefeller Plaza was developed as part of the construction of Rockefeller Center, and work on its superstructure started in March 1932. The first tenant moved into the building on April 22, 1933, but its official opening was delayed due to controversy over Man at the Crossroads. The Rainbow Room and the observation deck opened in the mid-1930s, and retail space was added to the ground floor in the 1950s. The building remained almost fully occupied through the 20th century and was renamed for GE in 1988. Since the late 1990s, NBC has owned most of the lower floors, while Tishman Speyer has operated the rest of the building. 30 Rockefeller Plaza was extensively renovated in 2014 and was renamed for Comcast in 2015.

  1. ^ "Rockefeller Center". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 18, 2007. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Adams 1985, p. 11.
  3. ^ a b Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior 1985, p. 1.
  4. ^ a b Postal 2012, p. 1.
  5. ^ "Emporis building ID 115419". Emporis. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

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