Top of the Rock opens a progressive new chapter in the life of an iconic New York building. A designated Landmark since 1985, 30 Rockefeller Plaza is home to GE offices, NBC broadcasting studios, and the legendary Rainbow Room restaurant as well as an underground retail Concourse and ground-floor public lobby. Following two decades of disuse, the historic observation decks atop the building have been reopened to the public and integrated with new interior spaces to create an enhanced visitor experience from the ground up. The expanded program and restored facilities renew Rockefeller Center's legacy as a pioneer in urban planning and placemaking.
The project comprises 55,000 square feet on six levels of the building, and was accomplished without impeding daily activities within the skyscraper. Continuous collaboration with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission distinguished the design process from the outset. New public visitor space and atrium were carved from non-historic offices on the lower three levels of the building, while the original observation decks on the upper three levels were burnished and connected via newly created interior spaces. Blending contemporary forms with the Art Deco tradition of the 1933 building, the project celebrates Rockefeller Center's ever-evolving narrative from old to new, from ground to sky, and from site to city.
