10 Rockefeller Plaza

June 2023 Building in Manhattan, New York 40.7583 -73.9795 type:landmark_region:US-NY title right thumb|300px|alt=10 Rockefeller Plaza as seen in 2026|10 Rockefeller Plaza as seen in 2026 2 10 Rockefeller Plaza (formerly the Eastern Air Lines Building and Holland House) is a 16-story building located on Rockefeller Plaza between 48th and 49th Streets in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Completed in 1940, the building is part of Rockefeller Center and, like the rest of the complex, was built in the Art Deco style. Architecture thumb|left|Studio 1A, home of NBC Nightly News and Today 10 Rockefeller Plaza is located on the west side of Rockefeller Plaza between 48th and 49th Streets.326 Its planning name was the Holland House,Krinsky 1978 96 but the Dutch government did not sign on, so the building became the Eastern Air Lines Building instead.Krinsky 1978 97 Form and facade 10 Rockefeller was built as a 16-story slab, basically a miniature version of 1 Rockefeller Plaza across the street.Reynolds 1994 . 307Adams 1985 225 Unlike the other buildings, there are no exterior reliefs or carvings on 10 Rockefeller Plaza.Adams 1985 225 The lowest four stories are designed as storefronts.Reynolds 1994 . 307–308Adams 1985 220–221 There are four-story-tall glass-faced retail wings to the north and south, which contrast with the design of the rest of the complex. The northern wing contains a rounded moderne-style corner at Rockefeller Plaza and 48th Street. Instead of a limestone entrance portal, 10 Rockefeller had a glass portal with a large mural on the lobby wall behind it.Adams 1985 220–221 The design of the glass-faced retail space was considered "baffling" to retailers, and the space remained unused until at least the 1950s.Adams 1985 222 The upper 12 stories contain offices. There is one setback on the facade, similar to that on 1 Rockefeller Plaza. Features The lobby includes a staircase that curves down to the shopping concourse underneath the entire Rockefeller Center complex.Reynolds 1994 . 308 10 Rockefeller Plaza contains one mural, The History of Transportation, created by Dean Cornwell in 1946.Roussel 2006 141 This mural is placed on the west wall of the lobby. The mural is made up of three parts: "Night Flight", "New World Unity", and "Day Flight". The piece depicts planes and gods flying at night; historical means of transport such as steamboat and steam train; and Rickenbacker's racecar, among other things.Roussel 2006 141 It is textured with gold and silver leaf, which respectively provide a contrast between "earthbound" and "airborne" motifs.Roussel 2006 141 As stipulated in the original plans,Krinsky 1978 96 the building also contains a six-floor parking garage with 800 spots, accessible from 48th Street.Adams 1985 222 Garages in New York City office buildings had been prohibited under the 1916 zoning law until it was amended in 1935. As a result, 10 Rockefeller contained New York City's first garage in an office building, and the design of 10 Rockefeller's garage was unique for the area. There is a lounge for car owners, a recreational area for chauffeurs, and bronze firepoles for attendants to access the garage quickly.July 9, 1939 TRY PARKING AIDS IN CITY; Three Projects, With Cars Stored in Buildings, Offer a Solution The New York Times https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1939/07/09/93939067.pdf November 21, 2017Adams 1985 222Okrent 2003 398–399 A rooftop garden exists on the third floor, above the garage and retail space.Adams 1985 225 There are two more tiers of gardens on the fifth and sixth floors.September 28, 1939 3 NEW ROOFTOP GARDENS; Rockefeller Center Unit Will Open Terrace Displays The New York Times https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1939/09/28/167826492.pdf November 28, 2017 Notable modern tenants include the studios for NBC's Today and Nightly News programs,* September 12, 2014 Visit the TODAY plaza: What you need to know https://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/visit-today-plaza-what-you-need-know-f6C10518085 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042751/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/visit-today-plaza-what-you-need-know-f6C10518085 December 1, 2017 November 21, 2017 NBC News About TODAY http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29055142/ dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120819135917/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29055142/ August 19, 2012 March 6, 2014 msn.com TodayHill Michael P. September 13, 2021 ‘Nightly’ moves to Studio 1A, with its graphics still a work in progress https://www.newscaststudio.com/2021/09/13/nbc-nightly-news-studio-1a/ NewscastStudio February 13, 2022 February 13, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220213230402/https://www.newscaststudio.com/2021/09/13/nbc-nightly-news-studio-1a/ live and, since 2005, the Nintendo New York store.Sarrazin Marc-André April 21, 2005 Nintendo World Store Opening Party — Nintendo Spin http://www.nintendospin.com/news/nintendo-world-store-opening-party/ dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110714185247/http://www.nintendospin.com/news/nintendo-world-store-opening-party/ July 14, 2011 August 10, 2009 NintendoSpin.com History Development Rockefeller Center occupies three blocks in Midtown Manhattan bounded by Fifth and Sixth Avenues to the east and west, between 48th Street to the south and 51st Street to the north.Stewart J. Gotham Rising: New York in the 1930s I. B. Tauris, Limited 2016 978-1-78453-529-2 https://books.google.com/books?id=xxG3DQAAQBAJ&pg=PR18 November 23, 2017 xviii In early plans for the construction of Rockefeller Center, the site of 10 Rockefeller Plaza was supposed to have been occupied by a house for the Metropolitan Opera.March 28, 1978 Radio City Music Hall http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0995.pdf live https://web.archive.org/web/20171116034329/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0995.pdf November 16, 2017 November 15, 2017 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission 3 The planned opera house was canceled in December 1929 due to various issues,December 6, 1929 Rockefeller Site for Opera Dropped The New York Times https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/12/06/94215747.pdf live November 10, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163358/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/12/06/94215747.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false March 16, 2022 0362-4331Balfour 1978 11Krinsky 1978 16, 48–50 and John D. Rockefeller Jr. negotiated with Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and its subsidiaries, National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO), to build a mass media entertainment complex on the site.Krinsky 1978 50Adams 1985 29Okrent 2003 70 By May 1930, RCA and its affiliates had agreed to develop the site.Balfour 1978 53Okrent 2003 142 Most of the complex had been completed by 1936. Rockefeller Center Inc. only needed to develop three empty plots in the middle of the complex's northern and southern blocks.Krinsky 1978 93 The final plot on the southernmost block needed to be developed, and several tenants were being considered.https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1937/05/11/94373567.pdf Rockefeller Center Abandons Opera Plans; To Build on Site Long Held for Metropolitan May 11, 1937 The New York Times November 21, 2017 In spring 1937, the center's managers approached the Dutch government for a possible 16-story "Holland House" on the eastern part of the plot. A six-floor parking garage would fill the hard-to-lease space on the lowest three floors of the building, as well as three basement floors.Krinsky 1978 96Okrent 2003 398 The Dutch government did not enter the agreement because of troubles domestically, most notably Hitler's invasion of the Netherlands.Adams 1985 219 However, Rockefeller Center's managers were already in negotiations with Eastern Air Lines, whose CEO Eddie Rickenbacker would sign a lease in June 1940.Krinsky 1978 97https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/06/13/113092407.pdf AIR LINES TAKING NEW OFFICE SPACE; Rickenbacker Signs Rockefeller Lease During Flight June 13, 1940 The New York Times November 21, 2017 en-US 0362-4331 The Dutch government did move into temporary offices in the International Building.Adams 1985 219 Excavation started in October 1938, and the building was topped out by April 1939.https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1939/04/07/91561838.pdf New Rockefeller Unit Is 'Topped Out'; Realty Board Foresees Higher Tax Rate April 7, 1939 The New York Times November 21, 2017 en-US 0362-4331 Upon the Eastern Air Lines Building's completion, the Dutch government moved its offices-in-exile into the new building.Adams 1985 219 The new structure was unique for its glass-wrapped lower facade and the lack of art over its doorways.Okrent 2003 340 Although the complex itself was finished in November 1939,https://www.nytimes.com/1939/11/02/archives/rockefeller-center-is-completed-as-its-creator-pleads-for-peace.html Rockefeller Center is Completed as its Creator Pleads for Peace November 2, 1939 The New York Times November 14, 2017 en-US 0362-4331 the Eastern Air Lines Building was not officially complete until its dedication in October 1940.Krinsky 1978 97https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/10/16/102265018.pdf AIRLINE BUILDING IS DEDICATED HERE; Governors of 17 States Take Part by Pressing Keys October 16, 1940 The New York Times November 21, 2017 en-US 0362-4331 March 16, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163359/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/10/16/102265018.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false live Later years The auction house Christie's leased 400,000 ft2 in the building in 1997, with an address at 20 Rockefeller Plaza. Tishman Speyer, led by Jerry Speyer and the Lester Crown family of Chicago, bought Rockefeller Center's original 14 buildings and land in 2000 for $1.85 billion.Bagli Charles V. December 22, 2000 Era Closes at Rockefeller Center With $1.85 Billion Deal on Sale https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/22/nyregion/era-closes-at-rockefeller-center-with-1.85-billion-deal-on-sale.html November 15, 2017 The New York Times 0362-4331 February 26, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220226031439/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/22/nyregion/era-closes-at-rockefeller-center-with-1.85-billion-deal-on-sale.html live In April 2023, Tishman Speyer proposed renovating ten of the building's upper stories into a 130-room hotel operated by Aspen Hospitality.King Kate April 17, 2023 Rockefeller Center Strikes Deal for Luxury Hotel by Aspen Hospitality en-US Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/rockefeller-center-strikes-deal-for-luxury-hotel-by-aspen-hospitality-group-432029fe June 16, 2023 0099-9660Rebong Kevin April 17, 2023 Tishman Speyer Eyeing Luxury Hotel at Rockefeller Center https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/04/17/tishman-speyer-eyes-luxury-hotel-at-rockefeller-center/ June 16, 2023 The Real Deal June 16, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230616022218/https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/04/17/tishman-speyer-eyes-luxury-hotel-at-rockefeller-center/ live The next year, Christie's renewed its lease for 25 years.Garber Nick Christie’s extends Rockefeller Center lease for 25 years Crain's New York Business August 20, 2024 https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/christies-extends-rockefeller-center-lease-25-years August 20, 2024 August 20, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240820190038/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/christies-extends-rockefeller-center-lease-25-years live Hallum Mark Christie’s Renews 400K-SF Lease at Rockefeller Center Commercial Observer August 20, 2024 https://commercialobserver.com/2024/08/christies-renews-400k-sf-lease-at-rockefeller-center/ August 20, 2024 August 20, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240820162159/https://commercialobserver.com/2024/08/christies-renews-400k-sf-lease-at-rockefeller-center/ live A proposal for the building's renovation was submitted to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in November 2025.Renovation Proposal For 10 Rockefeller Plaza To Be Reviewed By LPC New York YIMBY Gillespie Max November 22, 2025 https://newyorkyimby.com/2025/11/lpc-to-review-renovation-proposal-for-10-rockefeller-plaza-in-midtown-manhattan.html November 24, 2025 December 22, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20251222084808/https://newyorkyimby.com/2025/11/lpc-to-review-renovation-proposal-for-10-rockefeller-plaza-in-midtown-manhattan.html live References Citations Sources http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/1985RockefellerCenter.pdf Rockefeller Center Designation Report 1985 City of New York; New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission Adams Janet December 15, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171107113311/http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/1985RockefellerCenter.pdf November 7, 2017 dead Balfour Alan Rockefeller Center: Architecture as Theater https://archive.org/details/rockefellercente0000balf registration McGraw-Hill, Inc. 1978 978-0070034808 Krinsky Carol H. Carol Herselle Krinsky Rockefeller Center Oxford University Press 1978 978-0-19-502404-3 https://books.google.com/books?id=7xlDAQAAIAAJ Okrent Daniel Daniel Okrent Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center Penguin Books 2003 978-0142001776 Reynolds Donald The Architecture of New York City: Histories and Views of Important Structures, Sites, and Symbols J. Wiley 1994 978-0-471-01439-3 https://archive.org/details/architectureofne0000reyn subscription 45730295 Roussel Christine The Art of Rockefeller Center https://archive.org/details/guidetoartofr00chri registration New York W.W. Norton & Company May 17, 2006 978-0-3930-6082-9 Category:Rockefeller Center Category:1930s architecture in the United States Category:Art Deco architecture in Manhattan Category:1940 establishments in New York City Category:Office buildings completed in 1940 Category:Airline company headquarters in the United States