Radio City Music Hall

The Radio City Music Hall is part of the Rockefeller Center, a complex of 14 buildings envisioned by the oil magnate, John Davison Rockefeller (1839-1937). His interests aligned with those of the Metropolitan Opera Company, which was looking to leave the Garment District since the early 1920s: it was decided that the Rockefeller Center would include an opera house. The stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed caused the project's ambitions to be scaled back: there was no longer any question of building the opera. Radio stations set up at the Rockefeller Center, which was soon nicknamed "Radio City." This name comes from the first tenant of the complex, the Radio Corporation of America. NBC opened its studios in the GE Building, located south of the Radio Music City Hall.

Nicknamed the Showplace of the Nation, the Radio City Music Hall was a project of Rockefeller, Samuel Roxy Rothafel, creator of the Roxy Theater in 1927, and David Sarnoff. The hall was designed by Donald Deskey and opened to the public on December 27, 1932, with a performance featuring Ray Bolger and Martha Graham. However, the hall did not achieve the success its creators had hoped for. On January 11, 1933, the first film shown on a large screen was The Bitter Tea of General Yen, starring Barbara Stanwyck.

The large stage, 104 meters wide and 20 meters deep, resembles a setting sun. Its very sophisticated elevator system was copied by the U.S. Navy for the hydraulic systems used in the aircraft carriers of World War II. Legend has it that government agents monitored the building's basements to maintain this technological supremacy. The interior of the Radio City Music Hall was declared a city landmark in 1978.

The interior decoration is based on geometric shapes, using glass, aluminum, and chrome. The architect rejected the rococo flourishes often found in theaters of that time in favor of a contemporary Art Deco style. Radio City has 5,933 seats, making it the largest indoor theater in the world at the time of its opening.

The Music Hall is the venue for several events: the Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony, Tony Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and Grammy Awards. The graduation ceremonies for Hunter College and Pace University take place every year in the building.

Ezra Winter is the author of the mural titled Quest for the Fountain of Eternal Youth, located above the grand staircase of the hall. The women's room was decorated by Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and the men's room by Stuart Davis. Paul Manship designed the bas-reliefs for the orchestra doors. Outside, along the south facade, Hildreth Meiere executed the metal bas-reliefs representing the performing arts.

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