Rockefeller Center

This area is probably familiar to most of us--we've maybe walked through the Center on a visit (it's centrally located and near both Times Square and St. Patrick's Cathedral), watched the New York City Christmas Tree being lit on a news program, seen the ice skating rink on post cards, can recognize the gold-colored sculpture of a man behind the rink, or know the shape of the building beyond (known commonly as either the GE Building or the RCA Building) from Saturday Night Live or the David Letterman Show. Actually, however, the Center is much larger than that, and consists of 19 commercial buildings spread over a 22 acre site between 5th and 7th Avenues from 48th to 51st Streets. Columbia University originally owned the land upon which it is built, but leased it to John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in 1928 (Columbia sold the land in 1985 to the Rockefeller Group for $400,000,000). Since 1989 the Center has changed hands several times. For a more in-depth history, I suggest you check Wikipedi(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefeller_Center).

There are significant art works throughout the complex, both inside and out. The two best known sculptures are probably that of Atlas on 5th Avenue by Lee Lawrie (who has 12 works in the Center), and the bronze gilded image of Prometheus brining fire to mankind by Paul Manship just above the skating rink (see photos). The Mexican muralist Diego Rivera was commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller to paint a color fresco on the 1071 square foot wall in the lobby in 1932. After completing the work, which (unlike the sketches that were approved) contained the likeness of Lenin, Nelson paid Rivera and had the work destroyed. The lobby was then repainted by Jose Maria Sert in a large mural, "American Progress," which shows the country being constructed.

This is one building that still allows photography in its lobby, which is commendable, given the increasing number that do not. Indeed, some (like the Woolworth Building) do not even allow visitors to enter the building! But more on that later.

BTW--I had earlier written a blog about all the steel plates I'd seen in the streets of New York that had "FELIX' arc welded upon it. Richard wrote back with information he had discovered that revealed 'FELIX' to be Felix Associates L.L.C. of Port St. Lucie, Florida & the Bronx, who is a contractor for Con Edison--the name is inscribed on the plate to prevent theft (like, who could carry one of those suckers off?!!).

Dan

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