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Rockefeller Plaza – Application by Tishman Speyer to install lighting to illuminate various artwork and application to install architectural lighting at various buildings throughout Rockefeller Center.
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, April 09, 2020, the following resolution passed with a vote of 37 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining:
WHEREAS, Rockefeller Plaza is an individual landmark, designated in 1985, Art-Deco commercial, office and entertainment complex of 19 commercial buildings, covering 22 acres between West 48th and 52nd Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues built by the Rockefeller Family in 1931-1939, known for harmonious integration of architecture, art and landscaping; and
WHEREAS, The current application is for exterior lighting that will focus on artwork, building entrances and architectural building features at 30, 45 & 50 Rockefeller Plaza, and 620 Fifth Avenue; and
WHEREAS, Much of the existing lighting is outdated and does not provide optimal visibility of notable art work and significant architectural features and building entrances at nighttime; and
WHEREAS The proposed lighting is energy efficient LED, small in scale and can be mostly concealed on flagpoles, in ground, or retrofitted in existing housings, high setback rooftops or minimally visible with some new sconces; and
WHEREAS, The comprehensive proposed lighting program provides enhancements that celebrate the superb and profuse artwork of Rockefeller Center, composed of sculptures, bas-relief, mosaics, friezes, created by noteworthy artists such as Isamu Noguchi, Lee Lawrie, Rene Chambellan, or Paul Manship, and include famed art pieces such as Prometheus, Atlas, sculpted metal “News” bas-relief, Story of Mankind, the Credo Monument, fountainhead figures in the Channel Gardens; and
WHEREAS, The proposed lighting scheme will also enhance lesser known art elements of the Center such as discreet yet exquisite bas-reliefs and mosaic freezes, and will enrich a human scale experience of the center at night; and
WHEREAS The design and installation of proposed architectural lighting is technologically advanced, reduces glare and provides a wider, softer moonlighting effect that celebrates the complex as an outdoor museum enhancing the public realm; and
WHEREAS, It is respectful of the historic conditions of the Rockefeller Center complex; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of an Application by Tishman Speyer to install lighting to illuminate various artwork and an application to install architectural lighting at various buildings throughout Rockefeller Center.