SPOTLIGHT ON: ROCKEFELLER CENTER

Rockefeller Center is the home of Radio City Music Hall, the General Electric (formerly RCA) Building, a skating rink and a statue of Prometheus among other landmarks. In honor of Rockefeller Center and the annual holiday spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, this article highlights some of the resources available in the City Hall Library on this area.

Rockefeller Center: Architecture as Theater by Alan Balfour offers a history of the construction of Rockefeller Center with the focus on the architecture. Learn more about the individual and architectural firms involved in the planning and design. Included are descriptions of buildings, a discussion of the artwork and profiles of artists, commentary on Rockefeller Center from architects, historians and journalists from the 1940’s to the 1970’s.

The Last Rivet presents the texts of speeches made at the opening ceremonies of the Rockefeller Center complex on November 1, 1939. Nelson Rockefeller, future Governor of New York State; David Sarnoff, President of RCA, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and others describe the building of the Center and what it will mean to New York City.

Rockefeller Center, published in 1932, by Rockefeller Center, Inc., features drawings and photos of the buildings already erected and of proposed structures. It is interesting to note that at one time an opera house and concert hall were going to be part of Rockefeller Center, in order to provide homes for the Metropolitan Opera and New York Philharmonic orchestra.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated Rockefeller Center as a Historic District in 1985. The complete Rockefeller Center Designation Report explains the reasons for designation, contains biographies of the owner, developers and architects and describes each building and the gardens and public spaces in the area. This report provides a wealth of information on architectural details, structure, design and artwork. Radio City Music Hall was designated a landmark building in 1978 and the report is included in the collection here.

Vertical files on Rockefeller Center and Radio City offer newspaper and magazine articles and other materials that may be of interest. Read about the designation of Radio City Music Hall as a landmark and its renovation in the late 1970’s. A Municipal Art Society pamphlet, written in 1932, discusses the significance of Rockefeller Center as a symbol of both commercial and artistic accomplishment.

ACQUISITIONS LIST, NOVEMBER 2005

The following publications were received by the City Hall Library in the month of November. Additional government publications can be found online in our Government Publications section.

Advocates for Children of New York.
In harm’s way: a survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students who speak about harassment and discrimination in New York City schools. October 2005.

Ask, Sten, and Anna Mark-Jungkvist, editors.
The adventure of peace: Dag Hammarskjold and the future of the UN.
New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.

Citizens Union Foundation Election Reform Project.
Election day vote registration: simplifying the voting process and increasing voter turnout in New York City. November 2005.

Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York.
Beyond sixteen acres: Neighborhood and housing in Lower Manhattan. Report. November 10, 2003.

Educational Priorities Panel, Inc.
Adding up the numbers: the education budget under Mayor Bloomberg. Bulletin no. 1: 11/8/05.

Educational Priorities Panel, Inc.
Castles in the sand: why school overcrowding remains a problem in NYC. Advance copy. April 2002.

Food Bank For New York City.
Hunger safety net 2004: measuring gaps in food assistance in New York City. 2004.

Food Bank for New York City.
NYC hunger experience. November 2005.

Food Bank for New York City.
NYC hunger view. September 2005.

Horner, Blair, Russ Haven and Rachel Marx.
Driving for consumer savings: how New York State can use the internet to save drivers big bucks on auto insurance. New York: New York Public Interest Research Group. October 2005.

Lander, Brad and Laura Wolf-Powers.
Remaking New York City: can prosperity be shared and sustainable? Brooklyn, N.Y.: Pratt Institute, November 2004.

Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
Mayor Bloomberg & the limits of pragmatism. Civic report no. 46. November 2005.

Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
Pricing the “luxury product”: New York City taxes under Mayor Bloomberg. Civic report no. 47. November 2005.

Neuwirth, Robert.
Can growth work for New York’s communities? Community development, social and environment justice, and the city’s future. Pratt Center for Community Development. November 2005.

N.Y. City. Campaign Finance Board.
Voter guide: educate yourself and vote. General election Tuesday, November 8, 2005. Various editions for 51 districts in English, Spanish and Chinese.

New York City Commission on HIV/AIDS.
Recommendations to make NYC a national and global model for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care: report of the Commission. October 31, 2005.

N.Y. City. Comptroller
Audit of the contract between the Salvation Army and the Department of Homeless Services for the operation of Carlton House. November 21, 2005. (Report no. 7681)

N.Y. City. Comptroller
Audit report of the financial controls of the New York Public Library. November 22, 2005. (Report no. 7682)

N.Y. City. Comptroller
Audit report of the tax classification of real property in the Borough of Manhattan by the Department of Finance. November 21, 2005. (Report no. 7680)

New York City. Education, Department of.
Directory of the New York City public High schools, 2005-2006.

N.Y. City. Education, Department of.
High schools at a glance …: a companion guide to the Directory of the New York City Public High Schools. 2005-2006.

N.Y. City Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of.
Obesity and health: risks and behaviors (NYC Vital Signs, November 2005)

N.Y. City, Independent Budget Office.
City’s AIDS services caseload growth slows. (IBO Inside the Budget) No. 140. August 10, 2005.

N.Y. City. Independent Budget Office.
City faces new community development block grants cuts. (IBO Inside the Budget) No. 141. October 11, 2005.

N.Y. City. Independent Budget Office.
Lawsuit remains unsettled, but school spending continues to rise. (IBO Inside the Budget) No. 139/REVISED. July 19, 2005.

N.Y. City Independent Budget Office.
President’s tax panel may have costly plan for the city. (IBO Inside the Budget) No. 143. October 26, 2005.

N.Y. City. Independent Budget Office.
Progress report: the Mayor’s social services streamlining plan. (IBO Inside the Budget) No. 142. October 27, 2005.

New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
Annual report 2005.

N.Y. State. Comptroller.
Services rendered to special education students: New York City Department of Education. November 17, 2005. (Report no. 2004-N-2).

N.Y. State. Comptroller.
Solid waste disposal contracts. New York City Department of Sanitation. November 17, 2005. (Report no. 2003-N-9).

Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental Development. Prospect Heights neighborhood survey: summary report. October 2004. (Prepared for Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council).

Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental Development.
Transforming the southern Bronx River watershed. May 2004.

Regional Plan Association.
Rebirth of a gateway: Moynihan Station. New York: November 2005.

Rust, Claude.
The burning of the General Slocum. New York: Elsevier/Nelson Books, 1981.

United Hospital Fund and Urban Institute.
Health Insurance coverage in New York, 2002-2003. October 2005.

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