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Flashback: Rockefeller Plaza
By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 17, 2011
Modified Feb 17, 2011
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 17, 2011
Modified Feb 17, 2011
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Rockefeller Center (and the Plaza comprised of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres or prime real estate between 48th and 51st streets) was built in 1939, declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987, and immortalized in LEGO form just last year. And here's a fun fact from NPR: "The sunken plaza was originally a failure, unable to retain the intended retail tenants, and it remained a problem until the skating rink, a great novelty made possible by new refrigeration technology, was added as a somewhat desperate experiment."
There are a slew of uncaptioned photos of the complex from long ago... like when they had penguins there? You can check them out above, and there are even more here.
Tagged
flashback
history
architecture
gallery
rockefeller center
rockefeller plaza
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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