Radio City Music Hall facts for kids
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"The Showplace of the Nation"
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Radio City Music Hall in 2021
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| Location | 1260 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) Manhattan, New York City |
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| Coordinates | 40°45′35″N 73°58′45″W / 40.75972°N 73.97917°W |
| Owner | Tishman Speyer Properties |
| Operator | Madison Square Garden Entertainment |
| Type | Concert hall, entertainment venue |
| Seating type | Raked |
| Capacity | 5,960 |
| Opened | December 27, 1932 |
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Radio City Music Hall
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Area | 2 acres (0.8 ha) |
| Architect | Edward Durell Stone Donald Deskey |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Part of | Rockefeller Center (ID87002591) |
| NRHP reference No. | 78001880 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 8, 1978 |
| Designated CP | December 23, 1987 |
Radio City Music Hall is a famous entertainment spot and theater in New York City. It's located at 1260 Avenue of the Americas in Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan. People often call it "The Showplace of the Nation" because it's so grand. It's also the home of the Rockettes, a famous dance group.
This amazing building was designed by Edward Durell Stone and Donald Deskey. They used the Art Deco style, which was popular back then. Radio City Music Hall opened on December 27, 1932. It was part of the huge construction of Rockefeller Center project.
The theater has 5,960 seats, making it one of the largest of its kind. It was originally meant for live stage shows. But soon after opening, it started showing movies along with live performances. This continued through the 1970s. Many famous movies had their first showings here.
In the 1970s, fewer people came to the theater, and it almost closed down. But in 1978, it was named a New York City Landmark. This helped save it, and it was later renovated in 1999. Today, Radio City Music Hall hosts concerts by top musicians, live shows like the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and big televised events. These include the Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards.
Contents
History of Radio City Music Hall
How Radio City Was Planned
Building a Dream Theater
John D. Rockefeller Jr. leased the land for Rockefeller Center from Columbia University. The plan was to build a new opera house for the Metropolitan Opera. Architects Benjamin Wistar Morris and Joseph Urban started designing it in 1928.
However, the opera house project was too expensive and was canceled in 1929. Instead, Rockefeller made a deal with RCA (Radio Corporation of America). They decided to build a mass media complex with theaters. This was later scaled down to two theaters.
Roxy's Vision for the Music Hall
Samuel Roxy Rothafel, a well-known theater owner, joined the project in 1930. He suggested building two theaters. One was a large "International Music Hall" with over 6,200 seats. The other was a smaller "RKO Roxy" movie theater.
Roxy wanted the Music Hall to be huge, even bigger than his other theater, the Roxy Theatre. He had specific ideas for the design. He didn't want a big balcony blocking views. He also wanted a stage with three moving parts to change sets easily. Roxy also insisted on red seats, believing they would bring good luck.
Designing the Iconic Look
The main design of the Music Hall was handled by the Associated Architects. This group was designing all of Rockefeller Center. Radio City Music Hall was placed at the northwest corner of the complex.
Edward Durell Stone designed the building's exterior. He used Indiana Limestone, like other Rockefeller Center buildings. He added tall signs with the theater's name and fancy fire escapes. Inside, Stone designed the huge Grand Foyer with a grand staircase and mirrors.
Donald Deskey was chosen to design the interior. He used the Art Deco style with materials like glass, aluminum, and leather. Deskey also commissioned artists for murals and other decorations. His design was chosen from 35 different ideas.
Naming and Building Radio City
The "International Music Hall" became known as Radio City Music Hall. The name "Radio City" came from RCA, one of the first tenants. RCA planned a big media complex called Radio City. Over time, "Radio City" became a nickname just for the Music Hall.
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Construction began in December 1931 and finished in August 1932. Many records were set during its building. In November 1932, the Roxyettes dance group moved to Radio City. They later became known as the Rockettes.
Opening Night and Early Days
Radio City Music Hall first opened on December 27, 1932. It had a huge stage show with many performers. The opening was meant to bring back fancy variety entertainment.
However, the show was very long, lasting from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Many acts were crammed onto the stage. This made it hard for individual performances to stand out. Some audience members, including John Rockefeller Jr., left early.
Reviews were not good for the show itself. One film historian called it "the world's best 'bust'". But everyone loved the theater's design. One reviewer said the Music Hall was so beautiful it "needs no performers".
Becoming a Movie Palace
Because the live shows weren't popular, Radio City's managers changed plans. Just two weeks after opening, they announced the theater would show movies. These films would be accompanied by a spectacular stage show.
On January 11, 1933, Radio City became a movie and live-show house. The first film shown was Frank Capra's The Bitter Tea of General Yen. Radio City became the main place to see films from RKO-Radio Studio.
Many famous movies premiered here, including King Kong (1933), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), and The Lion King (1994). The theater hosted over 650 movie premieres in total. At its busiest, four full shows were presented every day.
The Golden Years: 1930s to 1950s
Besides movies, Radio City also hosted religious services. It started showing operatic performances in 1934, which were very popular. The theater also showed important films like Becky Sharp (1935), the first feature film to use three-strip Technicolor.
By 1937, over 25 million people had visited the theater. The Rockettes and a 60-member orchestra performed with many live shows. Radio City remained open every day, even during tough times. It stayed open when other theaters closed.
Changes in the 1960s and 1970s
By its 30th anniversary in 1962, Radio City had almost 200 million visitors. This was more than the entire U.S. population at the time! Officials had thought about closing it in 1962, but it stayed open.
The theater closed for five days in March 1965 for its first full cleaning. Workers cleaned the walls and ceilings, which had never been thoroughly cleaned before. Radio City started showing more family-friendly films. However, its operating costs were very high.
By the late 1960s, fewer tourists came to New York City, which affected attendance. It became harder for Radio City to get exclusive movie showings. They preferred family-friendly movies, which limited their choices.
In 1973, a labor dispute almost caused a full shutdown. To avoid this, the theater started scheduling other live entertainment. They tried rock concerts and boxing matches to attract people. But the Music Hall continued to lose money.
Almost Closing Down
In 1977, attendance dropped to a very low point. By January 1978, Radio City was in debt. Officials announced it would close on April 12. This was because the theater was losing millions of dollars.
Many people who used to visit had moved away. There were also worries about crime in New York City. Some ideas for the theater included turning it into tennis courts or a shopping mall.
But many people wanted to save Radio City. A group called the Showpeople's Committee to Save Radio City Music Hall was formed. The Rockettes also protested. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) held hearings. Most people wanted to make the theater a landmark.
On March 28, 1978, the LPC named the interior of Radio City a city landmark. This helped protect it. Rockefeller Center Inc. tried to fight this decision in court but failed.
Just before the planned closing date, a deal was made to keep Radio City open. On May 12, 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The theater closed for renovations and reopened on May 31, 1979.
Late 20th Century Revival
After reopening, Radio City started creating its own music concerts. It also began producing films and TV shows. By 1985, Radio City made a profit for the first time in 30 years! This was partly thanks to the new music concerts.
Radio City also started hosting big televised events. These included the Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, Daytime Emmy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and the NFL Draft.
In 1997, the Madison Square Garden Company leased Radio City. This helped fund the Rockettes and the Christmas Spectacular. In 1999, Radio City closed for a big renovation. They cleaned and replaced many parts, including the seats and carpets. The renovation cost $70 million. The theater reopened with a special concert on October 4, 1999.
Early 21st Century
In March 2020, Radio City Music Hall decided to close temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many events were postponed. In early 2021, New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced that Radio City could reopen with limited capacity. It fully reopened in June 2021 for vaccinated patrons.
In 2021, a new rooftop terrace called Radio Park opened on top of the Music Hall. It has birch trees and pathways. This garden is for tenants of a nearby office building and their guests.
Architecture and Design
Outside the Hall
Radio City Music Hall is on Sixth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets. It sits partly under the 1270 Avenue of the Americas office building. There's also a New York City Subway entrance right next to the theater.
The outside has a long, bright marquee sign that wraps around the corner. It also has tall signs on Sixth Avenue that light up the theater's name. The main entrance is at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 50th Street. This spot was chosen because it's easy to see from the Broadway theater district.
Above the entrance, there are six bronze plaques by Hildreth Meière. They show musicians playing instruments. There are also three larger metal plaques representing dance, drama, and song. These show what the theater is all about.
Inside the Hall
The inside of Radio City is amazing. It has a grand foyer, a huge main auditorium, and stairs and elevators to different levels. Edward Durell Stone designed the Art Deco style, which was a new, modern look for theaters.
Donald Deskey oversaw the interior design. He used glass, aluminum, chrome, and leather in his designs. These materials are in the wall coverings, carpets, lights, and furniture. All the staircases have brass railings, a classic Art Deco touch.
Artists like Marguerita Mergentime and Ruth Reeves designed carpets and wall fabrics. Rene Chambellan made bronze plaques of vaudeville characters for the lobby. Henry Varnum Poor designed all the ceramic fixtures.
Lobbies and Grand Foyer
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The entrance has two lobbies: one for tickets and one for advance sales. Both have marble walls and cool terrazzo floors. The main ticket lobby has four brass ticket booths.
Next to the lobbies is the grand foyer. It has a four-story-high ceiling and dramatic artwork. Two long, tubular chandeliers hang from the ceiling. On one wall, there's a huge mural by Ezra Winter called "Quest for the Fountain of Eternal Youth".
A grand staircase leads up to the first mezzanine. There are also mirrors on one wall that are 50 feet tall! Eleven doors from the grand foyer lead into the main auditorium.
The foyer also connects to four elevators. These elevators serve all the levels. The elevator doors have cool designs of musicians. Each of the three mezzanine levels has lounges and restrooms, all with unique designs.
The Main Auditorium
The auditorium is huge! It has about 5,960 seats. About 3,500 seats are on the ground level, called the orchestra. The rest are on three mezzanine levels. All seats are reddish-brown and have extra legroom.
The ceiling has eight curved bands that look like "northern lights". These bands hide the air conditioning, sound system, and organ pipes. The walls have cool fabric patterns of performers and horses.
The Great Stage is enormous, measuring about 66.5 by 144 feet. It's set within a proscenium arch that looks like a setting sun. There are two stage curtains. The main one is made of steel and asbestos. The center of the stage has a rotating floor with three sections that can move up and down. The orchestra pit can hold 75 musicians and can also move up and down.
Main Lounge and Backstage
The main lounge in the basement is twice the size of the grand foyer. It has black walls and diamond-shaped lights. This lounge is decorated with several artworks.
The backstage area is very well-equipped. It has studios for carpenters and sets, sewing rooms, and dressing rooms for 600 people. There's even a green room for performers' guests.
The elevator system backstage was so advanced that the U.S. Navy used similar hydraulics for World War II aircraft carriers.
Art in Radio City
Many artists from the Great Depression era created art for Radio City. The huge mural in the grand foyer, "Quest for the Fountain of Eternal Youth", was painted by Ezra Winter. It tells a story from a Native American tribe.
In the grand lounge, there are murals called "Phantasmagoria of the Theater" by Louis Bouche. These show five different theater scenes. Other sculptures include "Goose Girl" by Robert Laurent, "Eve" by Gwen Lux, and "Spirit of the Dance" by William Zorach.
Each public restroom has lounges with unique art. For example, the third-floor women's restroom has the Panther Mural by Henry Billings. The basement-level men's lounge has Men Without Women by Stuart Davis, which shows masculine pastimes.
Organs
Radio City Music Hall has two Wurlitzer theatre organs. The main organ is the largest ever built by Wurlitzer. It has 58 ranks of pipes and 4,178 pipes! Two organists can play it at the same time. There's also a smaller organ in the broadcast booth.
What Happens at Radio City Today?
Concerts and Music
Many famous musicians have played at Radio City Music Hall. Pink Floyd played there in 1973. The Grateful Dead had eight shows in 1980. In the 1980s, Liberace made a record $2.5 million from 14 performances.
More recently, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett performed there in 2015 and 2021. Adele had a special one-night concert recorded there in 2015. Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, and Olivia Rodrigo have also performed sold-out shows.
Live Shows
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is a famous annual show. It's a New York Christmas tradition since 1933 and features the Rockettes.
The Irish dance show Riverdance first came to North America at the Music Hall in 1996. It broke box-office records. The Cirque du Soleil show "Zarkana" also performed there from 2011 to 2012.
Television Shows
Radio City Music Hall has been used for TV game shows like Hollywood Squares, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy!. Wheel of Fortune had its first road trip there in 1988. Jeopardy! also filmed its 4,000th episode and special tournaments there.
David Letterman hosted his show's anniversary specials at Radio City in 1988 and 1992. The children's show Barney Live in New York City was taped there. Sesame Street also filmed its music special Elmopalooza at Radio City in 1998.
In 2013, America's Got Talent started holding its live shows at Radio City. This continued until 2016.
Sports Events
The first sports event at Radio City was a boxing match in 2000. In 2013, another boxing event took place there.
In 2004, the WNBA team, the New York Liberty, played six home games at Radio City. This was while their usual home, Madison Square Garden, was busy. The basketball court from Madison Square Garden was even moved to Radio City!
Radio City Music Hall hosted the NFL Draft from 2006 to 2014. This is where professional football teams pick new players.
Awards Ceremonies
Radio City Music Hall is a popular place for awards shows. Since 1997, it has hosted the Tony Awards almost every year. These awards celebrate the best of Broadway theatre.
The theater has also hosted the Grammy Awards six times, from 1980 to 1998. The MTV Video Music Awards have been held at Radio City 12 times between 1984 and 2018.
Images for kids
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Hydraulics pit beneath the Great Stage
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Underside of the Great Stage
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The backstage control room
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The elevator hydraulics controls
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The Grand Foyer with Christmas decorations for the Christmas Spectacular
See also
In Spanish: Radio City Music Hall para niños
