Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a huge office center, which was built in Manhattan with investments by financial magnates of the Rockefeller family in the thirties of the twentieth century.
Most famous are the fourteen buildings, designed in art deco. Here are the headquarters of some well-known corporations and auction houses.
It began in the early thirties of the twentieth century, when the young businessman John Rockefeller rented the land from Columbia University.
He plans to build in this place an opera theater, but the collapse of securities in 1929, known as Black Tuesday, dramatically changed his plan.
Instead, he built a place of finance and money; the buildings are on a large territory.
Initially, all thought this plan foolish and adventurous. For the construction of the center he should take great credit and he sold many oil stocks, but also had to buy the land from Columbia University. The price of land soared rapidly after it became clear that Rockefeller wants to buy it.
The only one who believed in the project was John D. Rockefeller himself. Later he explained: "I saw that I had no other way. I either had to quit building or I had to put everything I own in it. "
On the seventeenth day of May 1930 began the largest building project in the world - to build the towers, fourteen architects were invited, as well as painters and sculptors from all over the world. The construction was led by John Todd, and contracts with architect Raymond Hood, who became famous by his work on this project, were put in place.
In 1932 Mexican artist Diego Rivera custom painted a mural of the Rockefeller area ninety-nine square meters big, which depicted the feast on the first of May in Moscow with the figures of Lenin and Trotsky. Rockefeller was very dissatisfied with this subject. In early 1934, the mural was destroyed.
The construction of Rockefeller Center was completed nine years after its launch, on the first of November 1939.
Unfortunately, after completion of construction started World War II and some of the buildings began to be used as the headquarters of various organizations and parties.
The war ended with victory, and then started the upturn of the economy, which lasted decades and brought John Rockefeller many deserved millions.
Land was leased from Columbia University until 1985, but Rockefeller Group company representatives made a deal. Four years after this, Rockefeller Center and the land became property of the Japanese company Mitsubishi Estate.
Rockefeller Center is where the Christmas tree stands in New York City. Rockefeller Center is a place visited by millions of tourists from around the world each year.
Very interesting are not so much buildings as are the landmarks that were built later, in addition to the center. For example, Radio City Music Hall, built before Black Tuesday, today is a favorite not only for tourists but also residents of the city who want to spend a few pleasant hours out.
The most popular for tourists is the Center of Art, a huge art museum, which offers every sink in the atmosphere of the history of America. The museum collected thousands of works of artists from around the world. For each American, Rockefeller Center is not only the economic heart of the city, but also a historical and architectural monument, a monument to fallen soldiers, who carry the spirit of an epoch. Rockefeller Center is known as a city within a city.
On the square of the Rockefeller Center was erected a statue of Prometheus, which is located in a circle, which depicts the zodiac signs. The statue has the inscription: "Prometheus, a mentor in every art, brought fire to people, which proved to mortals a means to achieve great goals."
