March 11, 2005
Rockefeller Center to reopen 70th-floor roof deck
Closed since 1986, the 70th-floor observation deck on top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza will reopen this fall after a $75 million renovation, the New York Times reports.
The Rock's new deck aims to recreate "the original Art Deco ambience," and although the original Adirondack chairs won't be there, visitors will be allowed to linger as long as they please.
The visit will cost $14, but tickets can be purchased months in advance with a specific entrance time so waits are expected to last only 10 to 15 minutes. That alone could increase pressure on the Empire State Building, which has the city's highest observation deck and lines that range from 30 minutes to a few hours. Indeed, the two skyscrapers have long been in competition for the tourist dollar, according to the book "Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center," by Daniel Okrent, the public editor for the New York Times. In the 1930s, the head guard of the ESB's observation deck liked to frequent the Rock's deck on his days off, according to Okrent's tome. He always had a question for the guides, always the same question, and he made sure to ask it when there were plenty of other visitors within hearing range. Could the guide point out the Statue of Liberty? McGuire would inquire. The guide had no choice but to acknowledge that it couldn't be seen, that the Empire State Building was in the way. About 3.5 million people visited the ESB top deck last year; the "Top of the Rock" hopes for 2 million annually.
The deck was closed in 1986 when the expansion of the Rainbow Room cut off access to two small shuttle cars serving the observatory, according to the Times. Indeed it's been long enough for the tour guides to forget it. A year ago my husband and I took the Rockefeller Center tour and our guide was certain we were mistaken. He asked the other guides at the end of the tour, and finally found one who had a vague recollection of hearing about a roof deck.
Earlier: How to speed the wait for Empire State Building
Empire State Building to add exhibits, cut wait time
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March 11, 2005 07:53 AM in Architecture, Kids, Midtown, Sightsology
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