Radio City Music Hall’s Art Deco design by architect Donald Desky used glass, aluminum, chrome and geometric ornamentation
and the theatre has a giant sunset ceiling.
It opened in 1932 and has one of the best designed stage(s) in the world
with many moving parts and a wonderful lighting system. The stage system’s elevators were so advanced
in their time that the U.S. Navy incorporated identical hydraulics into its
construction of World War II aircraft carriers. The name, Radio City Music Hall, is attributed to David Sarnoff, founder of RCA and NBC and pioneer of American commercial radio and television.
Radio City Music Hall
is now only open for a yearly Christmas show, concerts and special events such
as the Tony Award and Emmy presentations.
For many years admission to Radio
City Music
Hall included an opening act starring the
Rockettes followed by a showing of a newly released movie at a very reasonable
price. Its balcony seats are way up in
the heavens, but the view is still spectacular and the acoustics
“perfect.” It is sad that the music hall
is so infrequently used today.
Combine a tour of Radio City Music Hall with a visit to the Top of the Rock, an observation deck on top of Rockefeller Center offering a fantastic and unbelievable view of Manhattan's skyline. Perhaps you might wish to time your visit to the Top of the Rock at sunset. Also visit nearby Saint Patrick's Cathedral (on Fifth Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets) and walk up Fifth Avenue to Tiffany's (at 57th Street and Fifth Avenue) and other famous stores.
