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So would this alter the official height? It looks like it would rise to 860' or so.

Enough to surpass 425 Park Avenue and possibly the Trump World Tower too.

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Originally Posted by Manitopiaaa (Post 9394012)

So would this alter the official height? It looks like it would rise to 860' or so.

Enough to surpass 425 Park Avenue and possibly the Trump World Tower too.

Not sure if it counts officially.

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A Rockefeller Center Developer Wants to Build an Attraction for Tourists to Recreate the Famous ‘Lunch Atop a Skyscraper’ Photo
The attraction will pack guests on a replica steel beam, elevate them into the air, and then rotate around to provide panoramic views.

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Taylor Dafoe
Sept 24, 2021

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You know that famous photograph of ironworkers eating lunch on a steel girder hanging high above midtown Manhattan? In an effort to wring more juice out of one of New York’s most popular tourist attractions, developers are proposing a new ride at Rockefeller Center that will allow visitors to recreate that 1932 photo—albeit in a safer manner.

Planned for the building’s 69th-floor observation deck as part of its “Top of Rock” experience, the proposed attraction would pack guests on a replica steel beam, elevate them into the air for selfies, and then rotate around to provide a panoramic view of the city.

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”With these changes, we’re looking to tell the story of Rockefeller Center in a new way that will bring people back to discover what Rockefeller Center symbolizes: a beacon in the city, a place with incredible history, a place that is of the city, and that provides this beautiful and unique perspective on this city,” Tishman Speyer managing director E.B. Kelly said at a community board meeting, according to 6sqft, which first reported the news.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission will have to approve Tishman Speyer’s plans before construction can start.

The real estate firm’s suggested enhancements to Rockefeller Center come as other New York buildings have entered into the observation deck game. A 100-story tall platform opened in Hudson Yards last year, while both the Chrysler Building and One Vanderbilt are constructing their own offerings.

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Lunch atop a Skyscraper, as the original picture is called, was taken on September 20, 1932, when 11 ironworkers assisting in the construction of the RCA building (now called the G.E. building) crawled out onto a steel beam some 850 feet above Rockefeller Plaza for a photo op.

The image, once an emblem of American achievement and its behind-the-scenes heroes, today reads more like a symbol of labor exploitation and an early piece of real estate propaganda (which makes its potential reinvention particularly ironic).

The shot, commissioned by Rockefeller Center management to promote the development project, first appeared in the October 2 edition of the New York Herald Tribune.

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https://www.6sqft.com/30-rocks-new-s...-by-landmarks/

30 Rock’s new ‘skylift’ observation platform and rooftop ride approved by Landmarks

APRIL 26, 2022
BY DEVIN GANNON

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A popular New York City observation deck will soon offer a new point of view. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved plans for several upgrades to the Top of the Rock at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, including a rotating ride, a rooftop beacon, and a new “skylift” viewing platform that takes visitors above the 70th floor and offers uninterrupted 360-degree views.

“This is one of our most important landmarks,” LPC Commissioner Sarah Carroll said about 30 Rockefeller Plaza and the Top of the Rock, adding it attracts residents and visitors to the area, as well as encourages businesses to open.

Carroll also said the new experiences could help boost tourism. “I think allowing for new circulation and these activities on the roof will even help support the recovery of the city.”

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On the 70th floor, the “skylift” includes a circular glass platform that will lift visitors above the rooftop, providing unique 360-degree views of the cityscape. This level also includes a rooftop beacon, a kinetic globe that will be programmed to change with the arrival of guests. Plus, the red tiles will be replaced with mosaic tile work with a celestial design, a motif seen throughout the complex.

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First presented last September, Tishman Speyer’s original proposals underwent a few revisions before gaining approval by the LPC on Tuesday. While the agency was supportive of changes to the landmarked building’s ground floor and mezzanine levels and the rooftop ride, commissioners were concerned about the visibility of the originally proposed viewing platform.

The third and final design ditches the large platform and replaces it with the vertical lift that is not visible when not in use, unlike the original proposal.

“I think what is being composed here now is exciting,” Commissioner Frederick Bland said during Tuesday’s meeting. “It’s there when it’s there, and it’s not there when it’s not there, which introduces a level of kinetic quality to architecture which I’ve always been interested in.”

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One of the things I always liked about the deck at 30 Rock was how bare-bones it was - essentially little more than a wrap-around walkway with a few telescopes scattered around. It'll be sad to see it turned into yet another nyc venue to be bombarded with upcharges to do lukewarm instagram stunts...

https://nypost.com/2023/12/01/lifest...ocks-new-ride/

Here’s what it’s like on the Beam, Top of the Rock’s ‘frightening but fun’ new ride

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By Alex Mitchell
Dec. 1, 2023

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Try not to scream on the Beam.

On Friday, Top of the Rock unveiled a brand-new attraction on the 69th-floor outdoor observation deck in which guests seated on a steel girder get lifted into the open air and spun around to experience unparalleled views of the Big Apple.

Aptly called the Beam, it’s a nod to Rockefeller Center’s storied history and the iconic, black-and-white 1932 photo “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper,” which famously features 11 steelworkers hanging off a construction beam on their break while building 30 Rock — then known as the RCA Building.

And despite the rain, many lined up to ride the Beam on Friday afternoon.

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“When the Beam turned around, I was literally white-knuckling with my grip,” Trebba Putnam, a 67-year-old tourist from Rome, Georgia, told The Post after the dramatic moment she shared with her two granddaughters.

“It was it was pretty frightening, but so much fun … I am absolutely, definitely afraid of heights. But this was a bucket list event to do with my grandchildren.”

Like the erectors of nearly a century past, up to seven guests can plop atop one of the two parallel beam rides before being hoisted 12 feet in the air. It costs $25 in addition to Top of the Rock’s admission fee, which starts at $40.

True to the inspiring image, it begins facing the 69th- and 70th-floor observation decks. But, unlike the builders, the Beam spins 180 degrees for a magnificent view of Central Park, the Hudson River and the skyscrapers of Midtown and upper Manhattan.

After all, that scene was the backdrop for the historic image.

Although the modern attraction includes many more safety features than the 850-foot-high suspended blue-collar bunch were privy to in the ’30s — including locking seat belts, back frames and, most importantly, ground close below — tourists say that the years-old sentiment remains.

“To think that men used to do this all the time without harnesses is mind-blowing, the bravery they must have had,” Oklahoma City mom Kim Brooks, 45, told The Post after embarking with her family.

“I was a little terrified, but I’m so glad I’ve done it,” London resident Penny Baldock, who clutched the hand of her more relaxed wife Lynne for dear life the whole time they were on board, told The Post.

Still, she feels the new attraction is worth facing your fears. “I’d recommend it to anybody, even if you’re scared of heights,” she said.

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Along with an unforgettable thrill, or perhaps fright, the Beam also addresses a long-standing urban legend: the misconception that “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper” — originally titled “Builders of the City Enjoy Luncheon” — was taken during the Empire State Building’s construction, which began in 1930.

“It’s certainly one of the most recognizable photos that we take great pride in and this raises awareness to debunk that misconception,” Rockefeller Center’s senior managing director EB Kelly told The Post.

“We wanted to re-create that feeling and history in a, somewhat, less terrifying way,” added Kelly, who has been on board herself, of course.

Inclement weather be damned, this reporter braved the elements and strapped in as one of the first patrons on Friday. The uplifting ride, about 30 seconds long, was anything but a letdown — even as rain ensued and the accompanying wind heightened suspense.

The excitement kicks in while being lifted into the air, particularly when the beam reaches higher than the roughly 10-foot-tall glass partitions that enclose the 69th floor.

At that point, the wild winds of Manhattan brush against your face as you suddenly realize you’re dangling over 30 Rock.

It’s nearly an entire story above where you started.

Spinning around — the edge seats go the farthest out toward the building ledge and are not for the faint of heart — is a suspenseful few seconds as you pan around and gander at the glistening skyline.

It’s truly an “only in New York” moment.

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Originally Posted by NYguy (Post 10097429)

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This ride certainly will increase tourism to what was already an attraction packed with tourists.