30 Rock: Humanity Envisioned
Rockefeller Plaza, however, is far more fascinating than these well-known tourist attractions.
Rockefeller Plaza is situated in the heart of Rockefeller Center (a complex of commercial buildings between 48th Street and 51st Street) and serves as the focal point and centerpiece of the Center. Through its underground concourse (lined with two miles of shops and restaurants), 30 Rock links to the nineteen buildings that make up Rockefeller Center.
Rockefeller Plaza was designed in the Art Deco style by Architect Raymond Hood. Completed in 1933, the seventy-floor, 850-foot limestone building became a hub for television studios, commercial offices, and shops
Initially known as the RCA Building (1933-1988) and the GE Building (1988-2015), in 2015, it became the Comcast Building, otherwise known as 30 Rock or 30 Rockefeller Plaza--indicative of its location.
The dramatic appearance of 30 Rock is due to the nature of its design. If one is looking from 5th Avenue, the building looks like an elegant, narrow limestone edifice—like most of New York’s skyscrapers. When looking, however, from 6th Avenue, the building looks like a giant, sun-blocking slab (thus the nickname, “The Slab”).
Surrounding the Plaza are promenade fountains, granite pools, sculptures, and colorful flora. As one passes the eighteen-foot statue of Prometheus (symbolic of humanity’s desire for knowledge) into the interior of the building, one is mesmerized by the elegance and glistening black and gold foyer, with its expert and concise lighting—and the murals, Intelligence Awakening Mankind and American Progress.
The spirit of John D. Rockefeller Jr. is appropriately felt at 30 Rock, the spirit of humanity’s infinite, soaring potential. Taking the glass-top elevator to the seventieth floor, to the Top of the Rock Observation Deck, one experiences this spirit, this soaring potential—the New York skyline.
John D. Rockefeller Jr., a humanitarian and philanthropist, envisioned a bright American future. He commissioned the construction of Rockefeller Center, with 30 Rockefeller Plaza as its center, as a symbol of the human spirit. As one of the most highly trafficked areas in New York City, Rockefeller may very well have accomplished his goal.
