Editing Rockefeller Center (section)

==Buildings==
{{Rockefeller Center map}}
The current complex is a combination of two building complexes and a standalone building: 13 of the original Art Deco office buildings from the 1930s, one building across 51st Street built in 1947, and a set of four [[International style (architecture)|International-style]] towers built along the west side of [[Sixth Avenue (Manhattan)|Avenue of the Americas]] during the 1960s and 1970s.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|pp=325–327}} The center spans {{convert|22|acre|ha}} in total, with some {{Convert|17,000,000|ft2|m2}} in office space.<ref name="Prial 1982"/>

===Landmarked buildings===
The landmarked buildings comprise {{convert|12|acre|m2}} in Midtown, bounded by [[Fifth Avenue|Fifth]] and [[Sixth Avenue (Manhattan)|Sixth]] avenues between 48th and [[51st Street (Manhattan)|51st]] streets.<ref>{{cite book | last=Stewart | first=J. | title=Gotham Rising: New York in the 1930s | publisher=I. B. Tauris, Limited | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-78453-529-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xxG3DQAAQBAJ&pg=PR18 | access-date=November 23, 2017 | page=xviii}}</ref> Built as a cohesive unit,{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1939|p=334}} the buildings have been owned by Tishman Speyer since 2000.<ref name="Bagli 2000"/> The buildings are spread along six blocks, with three blocks facing each avenue. These six blocks are the size of three standard blocks.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=4}} One of the landmark buildings' defining features is the Indiana limestone facade possessed by all 14 structures, as specified in the original plans.<ref name="NYTimes-Limestone-1931"/>{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=325}} All of the structures were designed by Associated Architects,{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1939|p=334}}{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=13}}{{sfn|Jackson|2010|p=1115}}{{sfn|Fitch|Waite|1974|p=12}} with Raymond Hood as the principal architect,{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=44}} and are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nhlsum"/>

====Radio City====
{{for|more details on the individual buildings|Center Theatre (New York City)|30 Rockefeller Plaza|Radio City Music Hall}}
[[File:GE Building Oct 2005.jpg|thumb|30 Rockefeller Plaza and its former "[[General Electric|GE]]" neon sign]]
The east side of Sixth Avenue, officially known as Avenue of the Americas,<ref>{{cite streetbook|page=24}}</ref> contains most of the buildings that were built specifically for the proposed radio complex. These buildings, which comprise "Radio City", are 1230 Avenue of the Americas, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Radio City Music Hall and 1270 Avenue of the Americas.{{sfn|Adams|1985|pp=29–30}}{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1939|p=332}}<ref name=SRW-Radio-City-1937/> The idea for an integrated media complex somewhere came in 1920, when [[Owen D. Young]], the chairman of RCA parent [[General Electric]], suggested that RCA combine its then-disparate offices into one location.{{sfn|Balfour|1978|pp=20–21}}

<span class="anchor" id="1230 Avenue of the Americas"></span><span class="anchor" id="U.S. Rubber Company Building"></span><span class="anchor" id="Simon & Schuster Building"></span>The western half of the southernmost block of the complex along Sixth Avenue, between 48th and 49th streets, contains the former U.S. Rubber Company Building (now Simon & Schuster Building) at 1230 Avenue of the Americas.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|pp=326, 327}} The last structure in the original complex to be built,{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|pp=98–99}}{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=231}} it was topped out in November 1939.<ref name=NYTimes-Complete-1939/> The 23-story building contains two 7-story wings on its north and south sides.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=237}} It was renamed after [[Uniroyal]] in 1967,<ref>{{cite news | title=Now it's Uniroyal | work=The New York Times | date=February 28, 1967 | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1967/02/28/83582264.pdf | access-date=November 22, 2017}}</ref> and again after [[Simon & Schuster]] in 1976.<ref>{{cite web | last=Sterne | first=Michael | title=Simon & Schuster Takes New Lease on New York | website=The New York Times | date=July 8, 1976 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/08/archives/simon-schuster-takes-new-lease-on-new-york.html | access-date=November 22, 2017}}</ref> 1230 Avenue of the Americas was expanded to the east in 1954 after the [[Center Theatre (New York City)|Center Theatre]] adjacent to it was demolished.<ref name=NYTimes-Skyscraper-Stilts-1954>{{cite news | title=Skyscraper Stands on Stilts Over Wreckers | work=The New York Times | date=October 9, 1954 | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1954/10/09/87483057.pdf | access-date=November 15, 2017}}</ref> The 19-story annex, designed by Wallace Harrison and [[Max Abramovitz]], had a glass facade on the lowest two stories—reflecting the design of the former American Airlines Building across Sixth Avenue—and a limestone facade above the second story. It is aligned with the axis of [[10 Rockefeller Plaza]] on the eastern side of the block,{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=231}} and its northern and southern elevations contain five setbacks.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=237}} The exterior also houses an abstract bas-relief created by [[Naum Gabo]].{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=425}}

<span class="anchor" id="Center Theatre"></span>The Center Theatre, at 1236 Sixth Avenue, was the only structure in the original Rockefeller Center to be demolished.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|pp=326, 327}} Originally the "RKO Roxy Theatre", it was renamed after Fox Theatres sued Roxy Rothafel over the naming rights to the nearby [[Roxy Theatre (New York City)|Roxy Theatre]], which Rothafel had originally managed.<ref name="NYTimes-Roxy-Name-1933">{{cite web | title=Old Roxy Keeps Right To Its Name; Circuit Court In 2-To-1 Decision Orders Radio City Theatre To Drop Word. New Appeal Is Planned Rko Permitted To Advertise Its Employment Of Rothafel, But Without Causing Confusion. | work=The New York Times | date=May 16, 1933 | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/05/16/105795341.pdf | access-date=November 22, 2017}}</ref> The 3,700-seat Center Theatre had a short [[massing]] (general shape) in place due to height restrictions at the time, which prohibited construction above theater auditoriums.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=46}} The theater's stage was enlarged for musicals in 1936, and four years later, 380 seats were removed in order to make way for an ice rink for skating spectaculars.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=231}} It showed film, musicals, ice-skating competitions, and television through its 21-year existence. Due to its duplication of the larger Radio City Music Hall's activities, it was deemed uneconomical almost from its opening,{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1939|p=339}} and was considered redundant by the 1950s.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=51}} In 1954, it was replaced by the expansion of 1230 Avenue of the Americas.<ref name=NYTimes-Skyscraper-Stilts-1954/>{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=327}}

<span class="anchor" id="30 Rockefeller Plaza"></span><span class="anchor" id="30 Rockefeller Plaza"></span>The block immediately to the north, on Sixth Avenue between 49th and 50th streets, is occupied by [[30 Rockefeller Plaza]] and its western annex at 1250 Sixth Avenue.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}} The 70-floor, {{convert|872|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} building anchors the entire complex, and is located on the eastern side of the block.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=4}} Opened in 1933 as the RCA Building,<ref name="NYTimes-RCA-Ready-1933">{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/04/30/105128980.pdf|title=Two Skyscrapers Will Open This Week; RCA and John Street Buildings Ready|date=April 30, 1933|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 11, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> the building has been renamed multiple times, first to the GE Building in 1988, after [[General Electric]] bought RCA,<ref name="Hevesi"/> and then to the Comcast Building in 2014 after [[Comcast]]'s purchase of NBCUniversal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/06/18/bid_farewell_to_30_rocks_ge_sign_comcast_will_top_the_tower.php#more |title=Bid Farewell to 30 Rock's GE Sign; 'Comcast' Will Top the Tower |date=June 18, 2014 |website=Curbed }}</ref><ref name="Roberts 2014"/> 30 Rockefeller Plaza was built as a single structure occupying the entire block between Sixth Avenue and Rockefeller Plaza, and its design was influenced by John Todd's desire for the building to use its [[air rights]] to their maximum potential.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=59}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=53}} It has three main segments: the 66-story tower rising from the eastern part of the base with the famous [[Rainbow Room]] restaurant on the 65th floor,{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=325}} and, formerly, the Rockefeller family office;<ref name="Roberts 2014"/> a windowless segment in the middle of the base that houses [[NBC Studios (New York City)|NBC Studios]];<ref>{{cite web | title=Contact Us | website=NBCUniversal | url=http://www.nbcuniversal.com/contact-us | access-date=November 16, 2017 | archive-date=September 3, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903185619/http://www.nbcuniversal.com/contact-us  }}</ref> and a shorter 16-story tower on the western part of the base at 1250 Avenue of the Americas.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=59}} As an icon of the complex, 30 Rockefeller Plaza's architecture influenced the design of the rest of the complex,{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=61}} with its limestone facade and [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]]-inspired four-leafed [[spandrel]]s.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=138}}{{sfn|Karp|Gill|1982|p=62}}
[[File:Radio City Music Hall, New York, Manhattan, USA.jpg|thumb|The southwest corner of [[Radio City Music Hall]], as seen diagonally across the intersection of Sixth Avenue and 50th Street]]
<span class="anchor" id="Radio City Music Hall"></span>[[Radio City Music Hall]] at 1260 Avenue of the Americas, occupying the southwestern portion of the block between 50th and 51st streets.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|pp=325, 326}} The only remaining theater in the complex,{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=40}} it was similar in style to the Center Theatre, but at a larger scale.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=46}} Construction started in December 1931,{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=40}} and the hall opened in December 1932.<ref name="NYTimes-Music-Hall-1932"/><ref name=DailyArgus-Music-Hall-1932/> The {{convert|121|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} Music Hall seats 6,000 people,<ref name="NYTimes-LastStoneMusicHall-1932">{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/08/11/100787345.pdf|title=Facade 'Topped Out' In Rockefeller Unit; Last Stone Laid On Exterior Of Music Hall – Work On Other Buildings Speeded.|date=August 11, 1932|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 14, 2017}}</ref> and since opening has seen over 300 million visitors.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Sanfilippo | first=Mike | title=Radio City Music Hall | magazine=New York Magazine | date=November 14, 2017 | url=http://nymag.com/listings/attraction/radio-city-music-hall/ | access-date=November 15, 2017}}</ref> Located in a [[niche (architecture)|niche]] adjacent to the neighboring 1270 Avenue of the Americas, the Music Hall is housed under the building's seventh-floor setback.{{sfn|Adams|1985|pp=53–54}}

<span class="anchor" id="RKO Building"></span><span class="anchor" id="1270 Avenue of the Americas"></span>The other building on the block between 50th and 51st streets is 1270 Avenue of the Americas,{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|pp=325, 326}} a 31-story structure with a setback on the sixth floor.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=40}} Originally named the RKO Building for [[RKO Pictures]], it was built over the Music Hall,{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1939|p=337}}{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=35}} and shares many of the same exterior architectural details.<ref name=DailyArgus-Music-Hall-1932/> Construction of the building started in 1931,<ref name="NYTimes-Digging-1931"/> and the building was complete by September 1932.<ref name=TarrytownDN-RKO-Complete-1932/>{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=35}} [[Henry Hofmeister]] designed the building, as well as several other office buildings in the city that were built over theaters.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=35}}{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=35}} The building's entrance design, blending in with that of the other buildings in the Radio City section, is marked by three sculptural [[bas-relief]]s created by [[Robert Garrison (sculptor)|Robert Garrison]] for each of the building's three bays, signifying muses of Contemporary Thought, Morning, and Evening.<ref name="NYTimes-Recent-Installations-1933">{{cite news | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/12/24/105835510.pdf | title=At Rockefeller Center; A Survey of the Recent Installations – Murals and Architectural Sculpture | work=The New York Times | date=December 24, 1933 | access-date=November 14, 2017 | last=Allan Jewell |first=Edward}}</ref>{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=36}}{{sfn|Roussel|2006|p=9}} In 1990, [[Robert Kushner]] created three bronze sculptures of winged spirits for the lobby.{{sfn|Roussel|2006|p=10}} The RKO Building served as headquarters for its namesake company in the 1930s, and was renamed for the [[American Metal Climax Company]] (AMAX), its new owners, in the early 1960s.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=37}}

====International complex====
{{about||details on the International Building, International Building North, and Palazzo d'Italia|International Building (Rockefeller Center)|details on the other two buildings|British Empire Building|and|La Maison Francaise (Rockefeller Center)|}}
[[File:New York City (New York, USA), Rockefeller Center -- 2012 -- 6413.jpg|thumb|The Channel Gardens between the British and French buildings, facing the  [[Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store|Saks Fifth Avenue flagship]]]]
The International Complex is along Fifth Avenue, with the 41-story International Building and four smaller country-themed structures with retail outlets.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1939|p=332}}{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}} The tower and the two southern retail buildings—were planned after the cancellation of the incongruously designed oval retail building in 1931, while the two retail wings east of the International Building were designed later.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=92}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=59}} The low rectangular structures that replaced the oval building were seen as a more suitable design for the avenue. The current international theme was decided on due to a lack of American tenants willing to rent there; eventually, the structures were occupied by British, French, and Italian interests,{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=87}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=69}} although the Italian interests ultimately were the only foreign tenants who rented for the long term.{{sfn|International Building Landmark Designation|1985|p=8}}{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=42}}

All four retail the structures have identical limestone facades, roof gardens, and ground-floor storefronts, but differ in the artworks with which they were decorated. Contemporary advertisements for shopping on Fifth Avenue touted the complex's proximity to the [[Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store]] and [[St. Patrick's Cathedral (Midtown Manhattan)|St. Patrick's Cathedral]]. When viewed from Fifth Avenue, the buildings provide a foreground for the taller 30 Rockefeller Plaza building behind them.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=88}} The [[Channel Gardens]] separate the British Empire Building and La Maison Francaise.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1939|pp=334–335}}
[[File:Rockefeller Center Maison Francaise Janniot Sculpture 2021-05-13 17-27.jpg|thumb|"Gallic Freedom" by [[Alfred Janniot]], decorates [[La Maison Francaise (Rockefeller Center)|La Maison Francaise]]]]
The southernmost of the four retail buildings is [[La Maison Francaise (Rockefeller Center)|La Maison Francaise]] (literally "the French House") at 610 Fifth Avenue,{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}} which opened in October 1933.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=107}} It is a six-story standalone building with a limestone facade with a sixth-story setback, as well as a partial {{frac|1|1|2}}-story penthouse on the west half of the seventh story and a garden on the east side of the seventh-story roof.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=96}} Immediately across the Channel Gardens to the north of La Maison Francaise is its twin, the [[British Empire Building]] at 620 Fifth Avenue,{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}} which opened in April 1933.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=93}} It is also a standalone building, with exactly the same massing asLa Maison Francaise, down to the setback, rooftop garden, and half-penthouse.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=96}}

The {{convert|512|ft|m|adj=on}} [[International Building (Manhattan)|International Building]] has the address 630 Fifth Avenue to its east, or 45 Rockefeller Plaza to its west.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}} The tower stands at 41 stories high, including mechanical floors.{{sfn|International Building Landmark Designation|1985|p=9}}{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=137}} One of two skyscrapers that opened in Manhattan in 1935, it was noted for its short 136-day duration of construction,<ref name="NYTimes-Skyscraper-Record-1935"/> as well as the construction quality, overall design, and materials used.{{sfn|International Building Landmark Designation|1985|pp=8–9}}{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=137}} The building, located in the middle of the block between Rockefeller Plaza and Fifth Avenue, contains a central plaza on its east, facing the Fifth Avenue entrance, which contains the famous statue of Atlas.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=151}} The Palazzo d'Italia and International Building North serve as six-story retail wings of the International Building.<ref>{{cite news | title=New Units Rushed in Fifth Av. Center; Rockefeller International and Italian Buildings to Be Ready by May 1. Frontage Now Complete; Promenade to Link Lobbies of Twin Structures in Novel Shopping Arcade. | work=The New York Times | date=March 4, 1935 | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/03/04/97145720.pdf | access-date=November 20, 2017}}</ref> The Palazzo d'Italia is at 626 Fifth Avenue, on the south side of the plaza, while International Building North is at 636 Fifth Avenue, north of the plaza.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}}

====Other buildings====
{{for|details on the individual buildings|1 Rockefeller Plaza|10 Rockefeller Plaza|50 Rockefeller Plaza}}
The 36-story tower at 1 Rockefeller Plaza, on the east side of the plaza between 48th and 49th streets,{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=197}} is the original Time & Life Building that was opened in April 1937.{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=54}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=93}}{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}} Time Inc. itself did not move into the building for another year after its completion.<ref name="NYTimes-Time-Moving-1938">{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1938/05/02/98130355.pdf|title=Business Moving Marked By Speed|date=May 2, 1938|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 7, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 1960, the building was renamed for [[General Dynamics]] after Time Inc. had moved into 1271 Avenue of the Americas, the new Time-Life Building located three blocks away.<ref>{{cite news | title=Radio City Lease Takes in 6 Floors; General Dynamics Is Lessee and Gives Name to Old Time-Life Building | work=The New York Times | date=January 12, 1960 | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1960/01/12/105174509.pdf | access-date=November 21, 2017}}</ref> The tower was renamed for its street address after General Dynamics moved to [[St. Louis]] in 1971.<ref>{{cite web | last=Shipler | first=David K. | title=General Dynamics Moving Headquarters Out of City | website=The New York Times | date=February 11, 1971 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/11/archives/general-dynamics-moving-headquarters-out-of-city.html | access-date=November 21, 2017}}</ref>

10 Rockefeller Plaza is located opposite 1 Rockefeller, on the west side of the plaza.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}} Its planning name was the Holland House,{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=96}} but the Dutch government did not sign on, so the building became the [[Eastern Air Lines]] Building instead.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=97}} 10 Rockefeller was built as a 16-story slab, basically a miniature version of 1 Rockefeller.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=225}} 10 Rockefeller's six-story parking garage was the first in Rockefeller Center.{{sfn|Balfour|1978|p=55}} Notable modern tenants include the ''[[Today (NBC program)|Today Show]]'' studios,<ref name=today>* {{cite web | title=Visit the TODAY plaza: What you need to know | website=NBC News | date=September 12, 2014 | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/visit-today-plaza-what-you-need-know-f6C10518085 | access-date=November 21, 2017 }}
* {{cite web|url=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29055142/|title=About TODAY|publisher=Today|website=msn.com|access-date=March 6, 2014|archive-date=August 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819135917/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29055142/}}</ref> and since 2005, the [[Nintendo New York]] store.<ref>{{cite web|first=Marc-André |last=Sarrazin |date=April 21, 2005 |title=Nintendo World Store Opening Party — Nintendo Spin |url=http://www.nintendospin.com/news/nintendo-world-store-opening-party/ |work=NintendoSpin.com |access-date=August 10, 2009  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714185247/http://www.nintendospin.com/news/nintendo-world-store-opening-party/ |archive-date=July 14, 2011 }}</ref>

50 Rockefeller Plaza, formerly the [[Associated Press]] Building, is located on the west side of Rockefeller Plaza between 50th and 51st streets.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}} It was constructed in the spring of 1938.<ref name="NYTimes-Steelwork-Finished-1938"/> The only building in the Center built to the outer limits of its lot line, the 15-story building took its shape from Associated Press's need for a single, undivided, loft-like newsroom as large as the lot could accommodate—namely, a {{convert|200|by|187|ft|m|adj=on}} blocky structure with no setbacks.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=94}}

<span class="anchor" id="600 Fifth Avenue"></span>600 Fifth Avenue is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 48th Street and was built after the other buildings in the main complex, opening in 1952.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|pp=326, 327}} The 28-story tower was once also known as the Sinclair Oil Building and the Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company Building.{{sfn|600 Fifth Avenue Landmark Designation|1985|p=2}} Its L-shaped footprint surrounds another building at the corner of 49th Street and Fifth Avenue,{{sfn|600 Fifth Avenue Landmark Designation|1985|p=1}}<ref name="NYTimes-Sinclair-Sold-1963"/> such that it fronts {{convert|200|ft|m}} on 48th Street, {{convert|100|ft|m}} on Fifth Avenue, but only {{convert|63|ft|m}} midblock on 49th Street.<ref name="NYTimes-Sinclair-Sold-1963"/> [[Carson and Lundin]] designed 600 Fifth Avenue, along with [[666 Fifth Avenue]] three blocks north, to complement the Rockefeller complex between the two towers.{{sfn|600 Fifth Avenue Landmark Designation|1985|p=2}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=426}}<ref name="NYTimes-Sinclair-Sold-1963"/> 600 Fifth Avenue contains a limestone facade, consistent with that of the original complex, as well as a seventh-story setback on its Fifth Avenue side and rooftop gardens on its setbacks. The building contains a main lobby at 48th Street, a service entrance to the same street, and a connection to 1 Rockefeller Plaza at its west end.{{sfn|600 Fifth Avenue Landmark Designation|1985|p=4}} Unlike other buildings in the complex, 600 Fifth Avenue's  ground level only contained one public entrance to maximize the ground-floor retail space,{{sfn|600 Fifth Avenue Landmark Designation|1985|p=3}} which was originally leased by Swiss interests<ref>{{cite web | last=Cooper | first=Lee E. | title=Large Space in Fifth Ave. Area Leased For Development of Swiss Trade Center | website=The New York Times | date=January 11, 1951 | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/01/11/87047815.pdf | access-date=November 22, 2017}}</ref> and [[Pan Am Airlines]].{{sfn|600 Fifth Avenue Landmark Designation|1985|p=3}}

===Later buildings===
[[File:1221 Avenue of the Americas.jpg|thumb|Looking up the facade of [[1221 Avenue of the Americas]]. [[1211 Avenue of the Americas|1211]] and [[1251 Avenue of the Americas|1251]] are visible to the left and right, respectively.]]
The buildings subsequently added are separately owned by multiple owners. <span class="anchor" id="75 Rockefeller Plaza"></span>The first subsequent building to be built was [[75 Rockefeller Plaza]], at 51st Street on the north end of the complex, was built in 1947.<ref name="NYTimes-Esso-Toppedout-1947"/> The building contains a low base that is level with the rooftops of the low-rise buildings on 51st and 52nd Street, as well as a tall slab rising from the base, aligned in a north–south direction.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=104}}  It was originally built privately, but ownership was transferred to Rockefeller Center in February 1947.<ref name=NYTimes-Esso-Part-1947/> The 33-story, {{Convert|400|ft|m|adj=on}} building was originally called the Esso Building.<ref name="NYTimes-Esso-Toppedout-1947"/> It was the headquarters of [[Standard Oil Company of New Jersey]] (later [[Exxon]]) until the early 1970s.<ref name="Horsley 1973"/> The Esso Building was later renamed after [[Warner Communications]], [[Time Warner]] and [[AOL Time Warner]]. It is owned by the estate of [[Mohamed Al Fayed]], who died in 2023,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://therealdeal.com/blog/2012/01/25/75-rockefeller-plaza-needs-tenants-manager-in-2014/|title=75 Rockefeller Plaza – Time Warner Lease – Mohamed Al-Fayed|date=January 25, 2012|work=The Real Deal New York}}</ref> and managed by [[RXR Realty]] under a 99-year lease that began in 2013.<ref name="The Real Deal 2013 q062">{{cite web | title=Breaking down RXR Realty's $500 million gamble at 75 Rockefeller Plaza| website=The Real Deal | date=February 19, 2013 | url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2013/02/19/breaking-down-rxr-realtys-500-million-gamble-at-75-rockefeller-plaza/ | access-date=February 4, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-01-14/rxr-said-to-buy-99-year-leasehold-at-75-rockefeller-plaza|title=RXR Said to Buy 99-Year Leasehold at 75 Rockefeller Plaza|first=David M.|last=Levitt|date=January 15, 2013|work=Bloomberg.com}}</ref>

The other four buildings were built as part of a single project on the west side of Sixth Avenue between 47th and 51st streets.<ref name="NYTimes-Splendor-1971">{{cite web | last=Schumach | first=Murray | title=Touches of Sidewalk Splendor Planned for Midtown | website=The New York Times | date=August 6, 1971 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/08/06/archives/touches-of-sidewalk-splendor-planned-for-midtown-promenades-are.html | access-date=November 23, 2017}}</ref> Erected from 1958 through 1974, they were all built by the same firm, [[Harrison & Abramovitz|Harrison, Abramovitz & Harris]].{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}}{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=117}} The $300 million project was part of a drive to get large companies such as [[Celanese Corporation]], [[S&P Global|McGraw-Hill]], Exxon, and Time Inc. to invest in the center.<ref name="NYTimes-Splendor-1971"/> The new project added a combined {{convert|6,100,000|ft2|m2}} of space to the existing center when it was completed, and was attractive to potential tenants because of this.<ref name="NYTimes-Expansion-1974">{{cite web | last=Horsley | first=Carter B. | title=Rockefeller Center's Expansion Unaffected by Vacant Offices | website=The New York Times | date=August 12, 1974 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/12/archives/rockefeller-centers-expansion-unaffected-by-vacant-offices-further.html | access-date=November 23, 2017}}</ref> Four buildings are part of the newer Sixth Avenue expansion:{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}}
* [[1211 Avenue of the Americas]], the former Celanese Building, is located between 47th and 48th streets.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}} The {{convert|592|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} tower opened in 1974.{{sfn|Nash|McGrath|1999|p=127}} Now the News Corp Building,<ref>{{cite news |last=Cuozzo |first=Steve | title=Fox and News Corp. to keep, expand Midtown headquarters | work=New York Post | date=January 17, 2017 | url=https://nypost.com/2017/01/17/fox-and-news-corp-to-keep-expand-midtown-headquarters/ | access-date=December 4, 2017 |quote=The News Corporation building at 1211 Sixth Ave}}</ref> it is owned by an affiliate of [[Beacon Capital Partners]], and leasing is managed by [[Cushman & Wakefield]].<ref name=1211ave>{{cite web| publisher=1211 Avenue of the Americas| url=http://1211.com/ownership.html| title=Ownership| access-date=March 6, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010122846/http://www.1211.com/ownership.html| archive-date=October 10, 2014}}</ref>
* [[1221 Avenue of the Americas]], the former McGraw-Hill Building, is located between 48th and 49th streets.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}} The {{convert|674|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} building opened in 1973{{sfn|Nash|McGrath|1999|p=127}} and is owned by the [[Rockefeller Group]].<ref name="Rockefeller Group">{{cite web | title=Portfolio | website=Rockefeller Group | date=February 6, 2012 | url=https://www.rockefellergroup.com/portfolio/ | access-date=December 4, 2017}}</ref>
* [[1251 Avenue of the Americas]], the former Exxon Building, is located between 49th and 50th streets.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}} This {{convert|750|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} building was built from 1967<ref name="NYTimes-Rockefeller-Skyscraper-1967"/> to 1971.{{sfn|Nash|McGrath|1999|p=127}} Exxon's corporate headquarters moved into the structure in 1972, with co-ownership with Rockefeller Center's managers, and held an ownership stake there until 1986, when Mitsui & Company purchased the building.<ref>{{cite news| title=Mitusi Unit Gets Exxon Building| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/11/business/mitsui-unit-gets-exxon-building.html| last=Scardino| first=Albert| date=December 11, 1988| work=The New York Times| access-date=March 6, 2014 }}</ref> Exxon moved its headquarters to Texas in 1989, vacating all of the space in 1251 Avenue of the Americas.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Pearson|first1=Anne|first2=Ralph|last2=Bivins. |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1989_659330 |title=Exxon moving corporate headquarters to Dallas|work=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=October 27, 1989|page=A1|access-date=July 29, 2009}}</ref>
* [[1271 Avenue of the Americas]], the former Time & Life Building, is located between 50th and 51st streets.{{sfn|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=326}} The {{convert|587|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} building was completed in 1958 Construction on the Time-Life's Building's steelwork started in April 1958,<ref name=NYTimes-Tops-Out-1958>{{cite news | title=Time-Life Building Tops Out at 587-Ft. With a Yule Tree | work=The New York Times | date=November 25, 1958 | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1958/11/25/82217749.pdf | access-date=December 4, 2017}}</ref> and is owned by the Rockefeller Group.<ref name="Rockefeller Group"/>