Radio City Music Hall ca. 1976 Radio City, and indeed all of Rockefeller Center, came out of a plan to move the Metropolitan Opera. In the late 1920s, a plan had sprung to use the Rockefeller site to build a new opera house, but due to a lack of an endowment and various internal issues, it was canceled. However, John D. Rockefeller Jr. had been brought in to the prospective plan and had no desire to leave the plan alone. Striking a deal with RCA, Rockefeller imagined Rockefeller Center (and Radio City) to be developed as a media center with large theatres. Theater mogul Samuel Roxy Rothafel, having joined the advisory board in 1930, suggested they build two theaters: The International Music Hall on the north side of the center and the RKO Roxy Theater on the south side of the center. While the design of both theaters was in the hands of Edwin Durell Stone and Donald Deskey, Roxy strived to create a more modern theater through his suggestions. Roxy envisioned a more sleek, oval theater that somewhat eschewed the tiered seatings of others. In its design, Stone matched Radio City Music Hall's exterior to the rest of Rockefeller Center in its use of limestone but designed its now-iconic signs to distinguish it. For its interior, Stone conceived of a grand foyer with high ceilings, a curved staircase, and a 220 square meter mural "Quest for the Fountain of Eternal Youth" painted by Ezra Winter. Deskey supposedly was appalled by Stone's design and created the rococo interior of the theater to help make it palatable in his eyes. Construction began in December of 1931, and a year later, the Radio City Music Hall (the name change from the International Music Hall Stemming from the partnership with RKO) was ready for a lavish public opening. The Rockettes had already made it their home and Roxy had planned a series of elaborate acts. The opening, as it turned out, was a colossal failure, boring even the center's patron John D. Rockefeller, but the design was immediately beloved. Initially running a huge deficit, Radio City Music Hall was forced to begin showing feature films and its mixed film and stage format made it successful. It became a go-to New York venue for premieres and until the 1970s would complete 4 performances of their "spectacle" a day. While in the 60s the hall flourished with millions of visitors, the 70s marked a decline for the theater. On April 12th, 1978, the Music Hall closed its doors, having projected a multi-million dollar loss for the year. With the theater's future in jeopardy, a huge campaign arose to save it. Its interior was landmarked, it was added to the national register of historic places, and many of its devotees protested and voiced their support. Rockefeller Center eventually ended up renovating the Music Hall and changing up its performance roster. Through diversification, use as a venue, and a multitude of strategies, in 1985, the Music Hall posted its first profit in three decades. Since renovated again, the Radio City Music Hall continues to operate and serve up shows such as its famous Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

While one New York tree gets all the glory, we thought we put together a collection of some other archival Christmas Trees.

Radio City Music Hall (Rockefeller Center) ARCHITECT: Associated Architects DATE: 1931-32 STYLE: Art Deco The Radio City Music Hall is the only surviving Art Deco theater in the country to incorporate so great a variety of architectural, artistic, and decorative features. When the Music Hall was completed in 1932 it was rapidly recognized both nationally and internationally for its artistic and technical excellence and it was considered one of the finest designs in the history of modern theater. The artwork in the Music Hall was executed in novel materials by the leading designers, sculptors, and artists of the period. The auditorium of the Music Hall incorporates many unusual features, such as shallow balconies and side ramps. The great arched ceiling of the auditorium incorporates the complex lighting system as well as the air-conditioning and sound equipment. It is the only theater of its kind in the country, making it a principal attraction to New Yorkers and tourists.

The Chrysler Building, the Empire State, 30 Rock, and other skyscrapers adorn the skyline. At street level the solitude of the Public Library, and the glitz of Fifth Avenue. And underground, Grand Central Terminal ushers commuters in and out of the city. Take a walk amongst the sights of Midtown East.

My Archive Spring 2019 "I love old photographs of buildings and architecture, especially if my family is in them! This is my beautiful Mom, Maria Bambace Lofaro, who had immigrated from Italy a few years before this photo was taken, so this must be around 1953-54? A family friend or relative must have taken it. This could have been a big outing for my Mom because she lived in Greenwich Village, and they ventured to Midtown." —Mary Lofaro

My Archive Summer 2019 “My family is on the way to Radio City for my birthday celebration. But what is a visit to the city without going to Rockefeller Center? I love the hats my sister and I are wearing. That was when you dressed up to go to the City. We were from Bayside, Queens, so Manhattan was always the City. We are wearing hats and white gloves.” —Marueen Engeleit

W.H. Vanderbilt Residences ca. 1898 William H. Vanderbilt purchased the entire block front on the west side of Fifth Avenue between 51st and 52nd streets in 1879, having recently inherited a fortune from his father, Cornelius Vanderbilt. Architects John B. Snook and Charles Atwood designed twin houses connected by a glass atrium and entrance vestibule, and the famed Herter Brothers decorated the houses with such extravagance that Artistic Houses devoted 17 pages to its interiors upon their completion in 1883. W.H. Vanderbilt and his wife lived in the southern house, while their two daughters and sons-in-law occupied the other.

Shadowed by a wastewater treatment plant, this corner of Greenpoint was once a bronze foundry so famous it is rumored to have been visited by President Theodore Roosevelt. The Roman Bronze Works specialized in the lost-wax casting technique, which allowed artists to produce masterfully detailed sculptures.

Rockefeller Center at Christmas, ca. 1945 While the official Christmas tree tradition at Rockefeller Center began in 1933– when 30 Rockefeller Plaza opened, its tradition began during the Depression-era construction when workers decorated a smaller 20 foot tree on Christmas Eve. According to Rockefeller Center, workers pooled money for that tree with the garlands made by workers' families.

Yeshiva University, founded as "Yeshiva College of America" in 1928 has historically provided a seminary level Jewish education alongside a modern academic one. Like many Jewish educational institutions, as it grew, Yeshiva College, whose class of male students are seen here in this image, moved on up from the Lower East Side to Washington Heights where its campus is still located. "YU" as it's known by its legions of fans, emerged out of the merging of two historically important orthodox Jewish educational facilities: the Eitz Chaim elementary type traditional Jewish school known as a "cheder" founded in 1886 and a rabbinic seminary was known as Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) established a decade later in 1896. Both located on the Lower East Side and founded by Eastern European Jewish immigrants.

There's no place like NYC for the holidays! From iconic window displays to synchronized light and sound shows, this walk will guide you through the history of a festive city tradition that dates back to the 1870s.

30 Rock ca. 1938 Rockefeller Center has a visionary dimension: it materialized a microcosm of the twenties' ideal, rationalized city of the future. Unprecedented in its sweeping scale of "urban renewal" (decades before the term was invented), Rockefeller Center replaced three full city blocks of low-rise, low-rent buildings, stretching from Forty-eighth to Fifty-first Streets between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, with a skyscraper complex of more than a dozen mixed-use buildings, with its multiple towers, widely spaced for sunlight and views. The centerpiece of the harmonious architectural ensemble was the seventy-story RCA Building, a tower that took the new form of a "slab," rather than the stepped pyramid produced by the zoning law, and that achieved a titanic scale, a volume of more than two million square feet, that was matched only by the Empire State Building. Raymond Hood and Harvey Wiley Corbett collaborated as key senior figures on the Center's larger team of designers, called the Associated Architects of Rockefeller Center. In the earliest stages of the design, Corbett advised on the overall site plan, advocating for plazas and arcades, a two-story commercial mall that bridged the cross streets, and separate pedestrian and vehicular zones, as in his visionary proposals. Hood's major contributions to Rockefeller Center were the massing of the RCA Building and the introduction of roof gardens throughout the complex.xtensive development of roof areas as interlocking gardens and a lofty observation deck created a romantic landscape in the sky that surpassed the visionary drawings by Hugh Ferriss of the early 1920s. Raymond Hood saw roof gardens as a transformative element in the modern metropolis. He objected to ìthe dirty-brown cluttered waste of unrelieved ugliness which is the roof view of New York we have accepted as inevitable.î Instead, as he wrote in "Hanging Gardens of New York," The New York Times Magazine article shown here, tower occupants could enjoy "a picture to which art and nature have contributed color and design with a note of gayety." Hood proposed nearly seven acres of gardens for Rockefeller Center, covering two thirds of the total roof area. To sell this idea to his businessmen clients, Hood emphasized the gardens' economic value. Water H. Kilham Jr., who worked on the project, recounted how Hood approached the developmentís manager J. R. Todd, disingenuously inquiring how much rental value might be gained if the Center's towers overlooked an open space like Bryant Park. When Todd replied "Around an additional dollar per square foot." Hood exclaimed: "A dollar, Mr. Todd! . . .Do you know there will be about seven acres of roof over the lower parts of Radio City? A lot of office space will look out over those roofs. At a dollar more per square foot extra you could afford to landscape those roofs like the hanging gardens of Babylon." Not long afterward, Kilham recalled, "the architectural sculptor RenÈ Chambellan was indicating foliage in plasticine on the model of the roofs, and I was working out a system of wire netting that would retain the roots of trees so they wouldnít blow over in the relatively shallow soil." About four acres of gardens were actually constructed at Rockefeller Center.

View of Rockefeller Center from 30 Rockefeller Plaza, ca. 1934.

International Building Interior ARCHITECT: Associated Architects DATE: 1933-34 STYLE: Modernist The ground floor interior with accompanying mezzanine floor interior of the International Building is one of the grandest and most dramatic interior spaces in the Rockefeller Center complex and a major component of the Center’s second largest building. This interior follows the east-west axis of the International Building at the northern end of the Center. The lobby gains its effect from the form of the space and its decorative finishes. The elements of the design and rich materials are not only characteristic of Modernist design, but are also some of the finest examples of their type.

Central Doorway of RCA Building, 1933. Designed by Raymond Hood, the head architect of the Rockefeller Center complex, 30 Rockefeller Plaza was originally built for the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) between 1931 and 1933. The 30-story building has an austere Art Deco facade with Gothic elements. The Art Deco decoration is best seen at ground level and features heroic and mythical themes (inspired by the Rockefeller's philosopher consultant). The relief above the center door seen here was created by Lee Oscar Lawrie, a preeminent architectural sculptor (he also created the statue of Atlas with Rene Paul Chambellan for the complex). The relief called Wisdom considers the power of universe; the central, bearded figure (biblical or perhaps Zeus) holds a compass. He is blowing away clouds, which represent ignorance. With the compass he is directing the cosmic forces. The quote inscribed below the figure comes from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah: "Wisdom and Knowledge Shall Be The Stability Of Thy Times." He is flanked by smaller reliefs depicting Sound and Light.

Edmund Vincent Gillon shot thousands of photographs documenting New York’s architecture and public art from the 1970s to the 1990s. Among Gillon’s rolls, his keen eye for civic sculpture stands out. Admire this set of memorable monuments, part of the Museum of the City of New York’s collection:

Night Scene of R.C.A. Building from 9 Rockefeller Plaza, 1937.

The massive scale of Rockefeller Center is adorned with countless art deco reliefs and sculptures which soften the harden corners and squared-off entryways of the building. This selection gives a brief overview of a few works of art perched on the exterior of this monumental complex.

As the city expanded and the relentless churning of commerce caused New York's population to explode, the city pushed northward. As the city itself moved northward, so did its elite. They settled along the undeveloped edge of the brand new Central Park, building enormous homes and mansions to celebrate their fabulous wealth. This walk takes you through a selection of the Fifth Avenue mansions that would have once dominated the Avenue.

"Atlas" in front of the International Building at Rockefeller Center, ca. 1976. Lee Lawrie's seven-ton bronze statue depicting Atlas, the Titan of Greek mythology, was installed in 1937.

Walking in a winter wonderland… As the City continues to reopen there are many opportunities to enjoy the enchanting sights and sounds of the season. There are holiday train shows, ice skating, holiday markets, decorated department store windows, and more just waiting for you to discover and explore.

Not all New York City landmarks are made of stone or steel or glass. Here is a list of some of the city's famous topiary, both long gone and still standing. Much like buildings, these trees 🌳 🌳 dominated streetscapes, provided community gathering places, and witnessed history.

Beloved Academy Award winning German-Jewish actor Luise Rainer, arrived in America in 1935, as fascism continued to seduce Europe. In December 1940, a mere five years after arriving, having already won 2 Oscars two years in a row, and with America still sitting it out, and the war in Europe headlining the news, Rainer guest starred at The Forward's radio station WEVD, "Salute To America" program highlighting American democracy.

The New York Preservation Archive Project is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to documenting, preserving, and celebrating the history of historic preservation in New York City. The Archive Project is devoted to celebrating neglected narratives of New York historic preservation using the archives that hold these stories. This collection includes a selection of historic sites that became flashpoints of the city's preservation movement(s). For more information, visit: www.nypap.org/phd-category/places/

January 31, 2019, would have been Jackie Robinson’s 100th birthday. In honor of this occasion, here are some locations in New York City where you can walk in the footsteps of an American hero.

My Archive Summer 2019 "My parents were divorced, and my dad used to take me to a fancy lunch on Sundays and then we would walk along Fifth Avenue, or sometimes go ice skating or to the zoo. So it's a photo of me (Jennifer Place) taken by my father (Willard Fiske Place)." —Jennifer Place

New York is the city that never sleeps, and these photos prove it. If you were looking for a (neon) sign, we've got a few here!

We delve deep into the ghost stories, murder plots, and haunted location lists to bring you the most thorough collection of New York City's spookiest spots! Check out the historic photographs of the city's most haunted sites, from Psycho-esque mansions to abandoned lunatic asylums. How many have you visited? Proceed at your own risk!💀💀💀

My Archive Spring 2019 "Rockefeller Center. The subject in the excellent sweatshirt outfit is yours truly, supported by my mom." —Isabel Sen

You submitted, and we rounded up our faves! Here are some spectacular shots of dads across NYC's five boroughs throughout the years. Happy Father’s Day!