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Rockefeller Center is a 22-acre complex of 19 commercial buildings in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, stretching from 48th to 51st Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Built between 1931 and 1939 by John D. Rockefeller Jr. during the depths of the Great Depression, it was the largest private building project ever undertaken at the time and remains one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the world.
At its center is 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the 70-story tower known as 30 Rock, home to NBC Studios and the Top of the Rock observation deck. Below it lies the sunken plaza, where the famous ice rink operates from fall through spring beneath the gilded Prometheus statue, and where the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree stands each holiday season. Across Fifth Avenue, the bronze Atlas statue faces St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Radio City Music Hall, home of the Rockettes, anchors the complex's Sixth Avenue side.
Rockefeller Center is a working city within the city: offices, shops, restaurants, television studios, and public art, all connected by an underground concourse. It's free to walk through, and for millions of visitors each year it's the single most recognizable address in Midtown.
Rockefeller Center has been a New York landmark for nearly a century. Here are the key facts every visitor should know:
Rockefeller Center changes character with the season more than almost any other landmark in the city.
From late November through early January, the Christmas tree and the ice rink turn the plaza into the most visited spot in New York. It's spectacular and it's crowded: the busiest hours are 5pm to 9pm daily, and the weekend after the tree lighting is the peak. To see the tree without the crush, come before 8am or after 10pm, when the lights are on and the plaza is nearly empty.
Outside the holidays, the complex is far calmer. Spring brings the Channel Gardens in bloom and the rink's conversion to an outdoor cafe. Summer evenings are pleasant for the plaza and the rooftop gardens, and weekday mornings are the quietest time of all.
For Top of the Rock, sunset is the standout slot in every season: book a timed ticket 30 to 45 minutes before sunset to see the city in daylight, at golden hour, and lit up after dark on one visit. Sunset slots sell out first, so book ahead. Early morning right at opening has the shortest lines and the clearest air.
Rockefeller Center sits in the center of Midtown Manhattan and has its own subway station. Take the B, D, F, or M train to 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center, which exits directly into the complex's underground concourse.
The N, R, and W trains stop at 49th Street, one block west; the 1 train stops at 50th Street; and the E and M trains stop at Fifth Avenue–53rd Street, a three-minute walk. From Grand Central Terminal, it's a ten-minute walk west along 47th or 48th Street, and from Times Square it's a five-minute walk east.
Use our interactive NYC subway guide to plan your exact route from any hotel or neighborhood before you arrive.
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