Rockefeller Center 47th to 51st Streets bet. 5th and 6th Aves. New York, NY 10009 * Prometheus - 30 Rockefeller Plaza * St. Patrick's/Saks - 5th Ave. & E. 50th St. * McGraw-Hill - 1221 Avenue of the Americas (aka 6th Ave.) Google Maps Street View * Prometheus Statue * 5th & E 50th * McGraw-Hill Building

Rockefeller Center is comprised of several different structures between 47th and 51st streets, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. The following filming locations are considered part of this area, and thus are included on this page: Prometheus statue at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the corner of 5th Ave & E 50th St (St. Patrick's Cathedral & Saks Fifth Ave.), and the McGraw-Hill Building.

History - written by Chris Buchner (used with permission)
Rockefeller Center is a maze of culture and commercialism spreading from outside in the city to the inside of the building. Rockefeller Center is composed of several different structures. The GE Building located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza houses both General Electric and NBC. One of the tallest buildings in New York, it stands over 850 feet tall with 70 stories. The building features various works of art composed of glass, limestone or metal by the likes of Lee Lawrie, Barry Faulkner and Gaston Lachaise. Their works represent wisdom as well as movie making and broadcasting. Two sculptures by Leo Friedlander are situated above NBC's entrance to the building which match his work on Radio City Music Hall. These works are tributes to the original television and radio tenants of the building. Inside the building are a series of murals by Jose Maria Sert depicting American Progress, Time and human master of the universe.

The Outdoor Plaza serves as both an outdoor dining and bar area as well as a skating rink during the colder months. These are the remnants of plans to turn it into a subterranean shopping mall connected to most forms of mass transit. Inspired by the open squares of European cities, the plaza was designed as a focal point for the Metropolitan Opera development planned in 1926. But these plans fell through and the rink was opened in 1936, the year of the first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. At the other end of the plaza stands the bronze statue covered in gold leaf designed by Paul Manship atop a large fountain. It's of the Greek mythological figure Prometheus stealing fire from the gods and giving it to man, bringing them knowledge and the arts.

On Fifth Avenue stands the International Building. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. sought international tenants for this and other buildings in the hopes it would boost the Center's prestige. Between 50th and 51st Streets stands the Associated Press Building, completed in 1937. Although it was slow in filling up, it was the first part of the center to show a profit by 1938, and the floor plan provided the wide open spaces needed for AP news-gathering operations. Finally, Radio City Music Hall is New York's premier show and performance palace. Initially intended for the theatrical extravaganzas staged by showman Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel, it became one of the largest theaters in the United States that hosts a variety of shows, including the famous Rockettes at Christmas time. It was designed by all three of Rockefeller's architecture firms under the direction of Edward Durrell Stone and is one of the world's most important examples of Art Deco design. With large gardens and works of art at every turn, there's a lot to see and do at Rockefeller Center. Below ground is also an extensive shopping area that can be reached from the subway and heads directly into the Plaza and every building of the complex.

Fun Facts

• The crew had no filming permits for any of the locations used during the "Ghost Fever" montage, it was essentially a small crew moving from place to place within the course of a day. Rockefeller Center was one of the less hospitable locations used as the Ghostbusters were chased out of the Plaza by security.

Mulaney: "In the Name of the Mother, the Son, and the Holy Andre" (November 9, 2014, Season 1)
Mulaney (John Mulaney), his mother Patti (Nora Dunn), and Lou (Martin Short) drive to various spots in New York City. After passing through Times Square, they stop at Saks Fifth Ave. Lou thinks that Patti went in there to shop, but Mulaney tells him that she just went in to use the bathroom.

Outside Links

• Official Site
• NYC Tourist
• NYC Tourist - Photo Tour
• A View On Cities
• Wired New York
• Large Panorama Photo of Rockefeller Center Ice Rink - taken by Ajm3 on January 29, 2009
• Large Panorama Photo of Rockefeller Center Ice Rink - taken by Lliterola on January 11, 2009
• The Front of the McGraw-Hill Building, taken on October 6, 2006 by JamesJoyce1
• The City Review: The Midtown Book - The McGraw-Hill Building on Sixth Avenue
• New York Architecture