GE Building

The GE Building, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, is a slim gothic-inspired Art Deco skyscraper and the focal point of the famed Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan, New York City. At 850 ft (259 m) with 70 floors, it is the 7th tallest building in New York City and the 30th tallest in the United States.

The GE Building is one of the most famous and recognized skyscrapers in New York. The frieze above the main entrance was executed by Lee Lawrie and depicts Wisdom, along with a slogan that reads "Wisdom and Knowledge shall be the stability of thy times". The vertical detailing of the building's austere Art Deco facade is integrated with a slim, functionally expressive form. Now, the exterior is recognized for the big GE letters at the very top and its famous marquee at the building's entrance often seen on TV shows such as Seinfeld. Unlike most other tall Art-Deco buildings constructed in the 1930s, the GE Building has no spire on its roof.

It is well-known for housing the headquarters and most of the New York studios of NBC, owned by GE. In 1996, NBC bought outright the 1.6 million square feet of space in the building it had leased since 1933. The purchase gave the company freedom to introduce new technology and revamp the space; it also gave them options to renew the lease on the Today Show studios, broadcast from a nearby building, 10 Rockefeller Plaza.


The building's narrow front

NBC's most famous studio is Studio 8H, the home of Saturday Night Live. 8H was once the largest radio studio in the world, originally home to the NBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. It was converted into a television studio in 1950. The Tonight Show was also taped at the GE Building from the early Jack Paar years until 1972, when the show moved to Burbank. (WNBC-TV's main news studio now occupies the former Tonight space). During its run, Rosie O'Donnell broadcast her syndicated talk show from the building.

Below the building is a shopping concourse. One of the first escalators provided access to the small shopping mall from the lobby. The open lobby was the first of its time and rich materials, reduced black and beige ornamental scheme is enhanced by dramatic lighting. Granite covers the building base to a height of 4 ft (1.2 m), and the shaft has a refined facade of Indiana limestone with aluminum spandrel panels.

The top floor of the building is an event room and restaurant named the Rainbow Room, which was recently revamped and reopened to the public with new operators. The famous photo Lunchtime atop a Skyscraper was taken here when the building was under construction in 1932.

Reference: www.wikipedia.com