National Register of Historic Places

Radio City Music Hall

New York, New York County, New York
Listed
May 7, 1978
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
78001880

About this property

Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and theater at 1260 Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplace of the Nation", it is the headquarters for the Rockettes. Radio City Music Hall was designed by Edward Durell Stone and Donald Deskey in the Art Deco style. Radio City Music Hall was built on a plot of land that was originally intended for an opera house for the Metropolitan Opera, plans for which were canceled in 1929. It opened on December 27, 1932, as part of the construction of Rockefeller Center. The 5,960-seat Music Hall was the larger of two venues built for Rockefeller Center's "Radio City" section, the other being the RKO Roxy Theatre (later the Center Theatre); the "Radio City" name came to apply only to Radio City Music Hall. It was largely successful until the 1970s, when declining patronage nearly drove the theater to bankruptcy. Radio City was designated a New York City Landmark in May 1978, and it was restored and allowed to remain open. The theater was extensively renovated in 1999. Radio City's four-tiered auditorium was the world's largest when it opened. The theater also contains a variety of art. Although Radio City was initially intended to host stage shows, within a year of its opening it was converted into a movie palace, hosting performances in a film-and-stage-spectacle format through the 1970s, and was the site of several movie premieres. By the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it primarily hosted concerts, including by leading pop and rock musicians, and live stage shows such as the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Radio City has also hosted televised events including the Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, Daytime Emmy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and NFL draft, as well as university graduation ceremonies.

Location

1260 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York County, New York
40.76003, -73.98211

Categories

ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATIONARCHITECTUREPERFORMING ARTS
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

U.S. General Post Office
Industrial
0.1 mi
Church of St. Mary the Virgin Complex
Industrial
0.1 mi
Rockefeller Center
Industrial
0.2 mi
Father Francis D. Duffy Statue and Duffy Square
Industrial
0.2 mi
Central IND Substation
Industrial
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Kip's Bay
1776Revolutionary War
1.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Radio City Music Hall listed on the National Register?

Radio City Music Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 7, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Radio City Music Hall?

Radio City Music Hall is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Radio City Music Hall?

The period of significance for Radio City Music Hall is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Radio City Music Hall?

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