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Landmarks
75 Rockefeller Plaza – Application for a new entrance with sliding doors at the West 52nd Street side of the building with infill to match the existing finishes at the base of the building, including a new marquee and signage for tenant
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, October 10, 2019, the following resolution passed with a vote of 33 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining:
WHEREAS, 75 Rockefeller Plaza is part of Rockefeller Center, an Art-Deco style commercial, office and entertainment complex of 19 commercial buildings, covering 22 acres between West 48th and 52nd Streets built by the Rockefeller Family; and
WHEREAS, 75 Rockefeller Plaza was designed by Robert Carson and Earl Lundin with Wallace K. Harrison as consulting architect, built in 1946 as headquarters for Standard Oil Company and originally named as the Esso Building; and
WHEREAS, The building, located at the northerly end of Rockefeller Plaza, has 100 ft. frontage on West 51st Street and 275 ft. frontage on West 52nd Street; and
WHEREAS, The current application is for the creation of a new entrance on the West 52nd Street side of the building, which will include a new sliding glass door and marquee extending eight feet over the door; and
WHEREAS, A new entrance is needed to accommodate hotel use of portions of the building under an AirB&B model; and
WHEREAS, The new entrance would require the removal of one piece of granite beneath the current window sill; and
WHEREAS, The addition will be visible from the corner of 52nd Street and 5th Avenue
WHEREAS, Community Board Five recommends a modification to the depth of the marquee to be more subdued with regard to depth and illumination, and thus, more appropriate for the site; and WHEREAS, Community Board Five recommends a modification to the proposed brass screen inside the windows so that the design of the brass lattice work is more harmonious with the current historic metal work throughout the building; and
WHEREAS, The addition of the new entrance with the above modifications is appropriate and respectful of the historic conditions of the building and the Rockefeller Center complex; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of the creation of a new entrance with sliding glass doors at the West 52nd Street side of 75 Rockefeller Plaza, on the condition that the brass screen on the inside of the glass windows be modified to fit more appropriately with the historic context of the building, and on the condition that the marquee above the door be modified in size and illumination for a more harmonious appearance.