ROCKEFELLER CENTER
Anna Bearzotti
Sara Cusmà Piccione
Francesca Medeossi
Natalia Janscak
Rockefeller center
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Location: in the centre of Midtown, Manhattan, New York City (30
Rockefeller Plaza, bet W50 and W51. West 48th to 51st Streets
between 5th and 6th Avenues )
Architects: Raymond Hood ( with Wallace K. Harrison, Harvey W.
Corbett, Fouilhoux, Reinhard, Hofmeister,
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and MacMurray)
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Commission: John D. Rockefeller
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Built: 1931-1940
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Centerpiece: 30 Rockefeller Plaza,
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its tallest structure
Raymond Hood(1881-1934)
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Studies: Brown University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris
His first major commission, the Chicago Tribune Tower (1922) has a
Gothic Style.
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Then, he takes distances from the Gothic.
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1930: Mc Graw Hill Building
Notes
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Construction: from 1931 to 1940
Construction of 10 different units: the last (the National Cash Register
Company's offices) was completed in 1940
An international symbol of modernist architectural style: the only major
private construction project underway in New York during the Depression
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A city within a city: all in a single complex (public and private activities)
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Pedestrian-friendly: it hosts a sunken garden and the Channel Gardens
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Latest technical refinements: elevators, air conditioning
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RKO motion picture theater: the first building completed, it opened in
1932
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1987: it was declared a National Historic Landmark
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Now there are 21 buildings
The original Rockefeller Center buildings are:
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1 Rockefeller Plaza (formerly the Time and Life Building)
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10 Rockefeller Plaza (formerly the Eastern Airlines Building)
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1270 Avenue of the Americas Building (formerly the RKO Building)
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The Associated Press Building
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The British Empire Building
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Channel Gardens (between the British Empire Building and La
Maison Francaise.)
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The International Building
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La Maison Francaise
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Palazzo d'Italia
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The Simon & Schuster Building (formerly the U.S. Rubber Company
Building)
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John D. Rockefeller
1928: he leases the area from Columbia University; the area had lost
much of its appeal by the 1920s
Original plan: a commercial and civic center with 3 office towers and
an opera house, around a plaza
The Opera withdrew from the project: Rockefeller Center was
transformed into a massive speculative commercial and
entertainment development, first called Radio City
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1931: final scheme
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Beaux-Arts design, Art Deco Architecture
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The project accommodated both business and leisure activities
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Murals: Sert and Brangwyn; also Rivera who made a scandal
Rockefeller Plaza
Prometheus
Channel Gardens
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probably the city's finest public
space
animated fountainheads,
surrounded by benches and lush
landscaping
GE Building
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The highlight of the complex
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850 feet tall
Radio City Music Hall
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one of two theaters originally
built
Designer: Donald Deskey
International Building
Maison Française
0
The Friendship of France and the United
States
British Empire Building