630 Fifth Avenue, The International Building
The tallest building of Rockefeller Center to front Fifth Avenue, the International Building at 630 Fifth Avenue was originally planned as a variation on the theme established with La Mason Francaise and The British Empire Building to the south. The two protruding lower wings of the 41-story skyscraper were to be dubbed the Palazzo D’Italia… Continue reading
620 Fifth Avenue, The British Empire Building
The British Empire Building at 620 Fifth Avenue is a mirror image of La Masion Francaise save for its sculpture, here consisting of small figurative works by artist Carl Paul Jennewien, seemingly floating in space beneath a stylized lion and unicorn. The figures represent peoples and resources controlled by the British Empire in the UK,… Continue reading
Just Off Fifth: 30 Rockefeller Plaza
30 Rockefeller Plaza, also known as 30 Rock, The GE Building and more recently the Comcast Building, is the largest building in Rockefeller Center and one of the greatest Art Deco structures in the world. As of this writing still the 14th tallest building in New York City at 850 ft and 70 stories, it… Continue reading
610 Fifth Avenue, La Maison Francaise
The first of three buildings named after European nations in a bid to attract tenants from those countries, La Masion Francaise at 610 Fifth Avenue features a magnificent relief created by the French artist Alfred Jannoit. Surmounted by a depiction of two goddesses representing the cities of Paris and New York linking hands, the work… Continue reading
Rockefeller Center
A spectacular collection of Art Deco buildings and the largest single construction project in the world when built, Rockefeller Center is one of the glories of American urbanism. Built between 1930 and 1939 with Raymond Hood as the chief architect, the complex was funded by John D. Rockefeller Jr., who had originally planned to incorporate… Continue reading