RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NY

Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its nickname is the 'Showplace of the Nation', and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city. Its interior was declared a city landmark in 1978.

The Rockefeller Center is the centrepiece of activity for thousands of New Yorkers who have embraced it as not just another boring office block, but as a warm symbol of a great city. Its rise to national stardom came not so much from the historic name it bears, but because for almost as long as there has been broadcasting, Rockefeller Center has been the home to some of the most powerful networks in the United States. The highlight of the complex is the General Electric Building, formerly the RCA (Radio Corporation of America) Building.

It was America's first billionaire John D. Rockefeller, who in spite of the Great Depression managed to build this huge office complex while others predicted his failure. His fate was nearly sealed when the Metropolitan Opera pulled out of the project. They were supposed to be the linchpin in the operation. Now the problem facing Rockefeller's architects was how to build enough office space to make the project work economically. What they did is consolidate the entire 17 acre property into a single superblock.

Thirteen buildings would be short, allowing light and air into the plaza and creating a human-scale experience. The fourteenth building could be huge because it inherited the air rights of its smaller neighbours allowing it to assume its 70-story height. There are now 21 buildings in Rockefeller Center, housing such famous places as Radio City Music Hall, the Rainbow Room, and the of NBC's shows like "Today," and "Saturday Night Live." They are connected by a series of underground tunnels which, themselves, support a variety of shops.

Hildreth Meière's large, enamelled metal rondels, “Spirits of Song, Drama and Dance,” on the 50th Street facade of the Radio City Music Hall building give an indication of the activities that take place inside this famous building. An artist representing Art Deco art and architecture, Hildreth Meière (1892-1961) was the creative force behind some famous murals of the mid-twentieth century.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Monday Murals meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.