Opened in 1933, the observation deck at Rockefeller Center was designed to evoke the elegant promenades found on the period's luxury transatlantic liners—only with views of the city's skyline instead of the ocean. In 1986 this cultural landmark was closed to the public and sat unused for almost two decades. Last November, the observation deck was reopened following a $75 million renovation that restored the Art Deco masterpiece to perfection.
![]() |
PHOTO: BOB ZUCKER |
Key to the deck's renovation was the creation of a full Top of the Rock “experience.” Visitors begin their tour in the building's new three-story atrium lobby, where sweeping glass stairs circle around a giant Swarovski chandelier with 14,000 crystals. Rockefeller Center's elevator room was moved and extended by the Building Team to make room for a set of new elevator cars dedicated to whisking guests to the now-combined 67th, 69th, and 70th floors.
![]() |
Closed for nearly two decades, the observation deck at Rockefeller Center has been restored to its original 1933 Art Deco appearance. New features include a nine-foot-tall, basesupported safety wall fitted with nonreflective glass panels to ensure unobstructed views of Central Park and the skyline. PHOTO: BOB ZUCKER |
At the top, visitors can wander through a series of rooms and terraces leading upward to the Grand Viewing Deck, encountering exhibits and a theater focused on the history of Rockefeller Center along the way. An interactive display gives visitors the illusion of walking a structural steel beam suspended 67 stories above the street.
Out on the decks and terraces, the Building Team restored the shot-sewn limestone and cast aluminum fleur-de-lis panels. They installed new nine-foot-tall, base-supported, nonreflective peri-glass safety barriers that withstand 100-mph winds. A coil snow melt system was also added to keep the deck from becoming slushy or dangerously icy. The result: 360-degree views of the Big Apple, in a setting worthy of the name Top of the Rock.
Related Stories
| Jun 18, 2014
Six World Cup stadiums have achieved LEED certification
In conjunction with the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that six World Cup stadiums have achieved LEED certification, including South America’s largest stadium, Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro.
| Jun 18, 2014
Study shows walkable urbanism has positive economic impact
Walkable communities have a higher GDP, greater wealth, and higher percentages of college grads, according to a new study by George Washington University.
| Jun 18, 2014
Arup uses 3D printing to fabricate one-of-a-kind structural steel components
The firm's research shows that 3D printing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste, and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector.
| Jun 16, 2014
6 U.S. cities at the forefront of innovation districts
A new Brookings Institution study records the emergence of “competitive places that are also cool spaces.”
| Jun 13, 2014
First look: BIG's spiraling museum for watchmaker Audemars Piguet
The glass-and-steel pavilion's spiral structure acts as a storytelling device for the company's history.
| Jun 12, 2014
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects' design selected for new UCSC facility
The planned site is a natural landscape among redwood trees with views over Monterey Bay, a site that the architects have called “one of the most beautiful they have ever worked on.”
| Jun 12, 2014
Austrian university develops 'inflatable' concrete dome method
Constructing a concrete dome is a costly process, but this may change soon. A team from the Vienna University of Technology has developed a method that allows concrete domes to form with the use of air and steel cables instead of expensive, timber supporting structures.
| Jun 11, 2014
David Adjaye’s housing project in Sugar Hill nears completion
A new development in New York's historic Sugar Hill district nears completion, designed to be an icon for the neighborhood's rich history.
| Jun 9, 2014
Green Building Initiative launches Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors program
The new program focuses exclusively on the sustainable design and construction of interior spaces in nonresidential buildings and can be pursued by both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces.
| Jun 4, 2014
Want to design a Guggenheim? Foundation launches open competition for proposed Helsinki museum
This is the first time the Guggenheim Foundation has sought a design through an open competition. Anonymous submissions for stage one of the competition are due September 10, 2014.