Rockefeller Center Tour

Explore an Art Deco masterpiece.

The historian-guided Rockefeller Center Tour takes you from past to present, from John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s initial vision to its realization in the cultural center and National Historic Landmark of today. You’ll get an insider’s view of the incredible architecture, art, iconic buildings, outdoor gardens, and spaces found throughout Rockefeller Center.

The Rockefeller Center Tour Jr. offers a guided experience of the sights and stories of Rockefeller Center for the whole family. On tour together with two guides, children (recommended ages 6-12) will enjoy an interactive adventure full of discovery while their accompanying adults learn about the rich history and architecture of the 12-acre campus.

Buy Tickets

Hours

Tours take place daily at 10am, 10:30am, 11am, 12pm, 12:30pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 3:30pm, 4pm, 5pm and 7pm.

Directions & Contact

30 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, NY 10112

1.877.692.7625 [email protected]

On the Tour

History

Over 100 years ago, John D. Rockefeller Jr. had a vision to create a “city within a city,” and the story of how Rockefeller Center came to be is a fascinating one. Filled with art, style, and entertainment, it’s a story that is being added to every day.

1929

John D. Rockefeller Jr leases land from Columbia University. Rockefeller’s original vision was was to create a commercial office building community and a new home for the Metropolitan Opera Company. The stock market crash of 1929 thwarted these plans however, as investors withdrew from the project. A determined Rockefeller chose to move forward with the project, opting to create an exclusively commercial business complex.

The future site of the Rockefeller Center across from St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifty Avenue.

1931

Construction begins on America's largest privately owned business and entertainment complex of the pre-war period. Throughout the Depression, the construction of the center provided jobs for tens of thousands of laborers and helped boost the building industry in New York City. The fourteen original buildings and their accompanying attractions were completed in 1940.

1932

Center Theatre opens. Originally called the RKO Roxy Theatre when it opened, the Center Theatre featured both live stage shows and screened films. During the height of its popularity in the 1940s, its understated Art Deco–inspired design stood in stark contrast to the lavish Radio City Music Hall nearby. It is the only building from the original Rockefeller Center plan that has been torn down.

1938

Associated Press Building Completed. Soaring above the entrance to the Associated Press Building is Isamu Noguchi’s News, the first heroic-sized sculpture ever cast in stainless steel.

News is an Art Deco scupture above the entrance to 50 Rockefeller Plaza.

Buy Tickets to Learn More

Art

Rockefeller Center is home to a remarkable collection of art deco motifs and sculptures signifying man’s development in spirit, science, industry and more. You’ll see the Center’s most famous artworks, including Four Periods in Italian History, Atlas, Intelligence Awakening Mankind, Prometheus, Sound and Light, and The Joy of Life and many others. And along the way, you’ll learn about how Rockefeller’s vision to create a cultural center was ultimately realized.

Detail of Lee Lawrie's The Story of Mankind, a carved polychromed and gilded openwork limestone Art Deco sculpture.

Detaol of Hildreth Meière's Dance, Drama, and Song Art Deco metal and enamel on the Radio City Music Hall facade.

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller was a visionary art collector and patron who not only played a decisive role in making Rockefeller Center a haven for public art, but who also co-founded MoMA in 1929 with two other women, Lillie Bliss and May Quinn Sullivan.

Architecture

You’ll learn about the conception and design of Rockefeller Center, the National Landmark and Art-Deco marvel, that has been referred to as a "city-within-a-city." This visionary center combines private with public, and design with a community purpose. The Center was designed by a team of renowned architects, headed by the most celebrated architect of the decade, Raymond Hood, of Hood, Godley & Fouilhoux.

This newel post is a historic architectual detail visited during the Rockefeller Center Tour.

Detail from the massive Time ceiling mural by Jose Maria Sert in the Rockefeller Center lobby.

Gertrude Stein once said that the view of Rockefeller Center from Fifth Avenue was “the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”

Points of Interest

On your tour you’ll see Rockefeller Center’s most significant buildings, gardens, and spaces. Some highlights are stops at the Associated Press Building and where the TODAY Show is filmed. Make sure you bring some comfortable shoes, there’s a lot to see.

St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, across from the Rock Center.

The Channel Gardens with seasonal flowers, sculptures and fountains at Rockefeller Center.

The aptly named Channel Gardens sits between the French and British Empire buildings on Fifth Avenue.