![]() He spent his last $5,000 on a detailed portfolio of his vision for Radio City, and eventually, it was his dramatic art deco flair that caught the attention of Roxy and Rockefeller, who felt his style would remain modern for decades to come. The room was crafted by the in-house interior designer for Radio City, Donald Deskey, who won the position in a fierce competition between four other designers. The room can now be rented for private events, and is primarily used for opening night after-parties at Radio City. When he was manager at Radio City Music Hall until 1934, Roxy used the area for business and pleasure, dining amongst the likes of Walt Disney and Judy Garland. It was constructed as a perfect dome, so that the acoustics would be suited for Roxy’s guests to have conversation over the sound of ongoing shows at the theater. The dining room itself is an architectural feat. ![]() The wooden panels that span the room are quilted mahogany, and on them are hung a vast circular mirror which faces the also spherical dining room in the back. The most undeniably striking quality is the 20ft high ceiling, gold leafed wall to wall.Įven on a foggy day, light streams in through the frosted glass windows, illuminating the otherwise brooding art deco interior design of rich mahogany woods and burnt orange leather chairs. Radio City was opened in 1932 - and the entirety of Rockefeller Center was opened in 1933. ![]() 75,000 men had worked on the development. He reasoned that the world needed glamour and entertainment now more than ever.īy the time it was finished, the Rockefeller Plaza complex, of which Radio City is part, had cost $250million - more than $3.5billion in today’s money. His hope was that Rockefeller Center – and Radio City Music Hall – would be a beacon of architectural and recreational success that could attract visitors, and investors. It’s estimated that by 1933, some 15 million Americans were unemployed and half the banks had failed.ĭespite the hardships, J.D Rockefeller was motivated to press on with building to create something beautiful from the rubble of the stock market crash, and began building in 1930. The planning of Radio City Music Hall began in 1927 in an area of Midtown Manhattan known then as the ‘speakeasy belt’ because it was notoriously gritty and filled with gambling houses.īut two years later in October 1929, the stock market crashed sending Wall Street into a panicked frenzy and causing a ripple effect that brought the Great Depression. Cyndi Lauper, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Anderson Cooper, and Tim Russert have also visited. Now, the apartment’s primary function remains what it was intended for during Roxy’s time: a place for the rich and famous to be entertained.Ī guest book reveals the signatures of some of the best known partygoers – Alfred Hitchcock accompanied his name with a drawing of his silhouetted profile, a nod to his iconic logo Liberace’s signature is given a little extra glamour with a sketch of a grand piano and Robert Lantz drew a striking photo of the character he was best known for playing – Woody Woodpecker. His name was synonymous with theatrical success.Īfter his death, the apartment lay forgotten and abandoned. ![]() ‘Roxy’ was the man they had charged with bringing his signature glitz and glamour to Radio City – the same glam and success he’d brought to his own theater The Roxy on 50th Avenue and Broadway. The opulence of the space was entirely befitting of its occupant. Originally a two-story private space in the eaves of Radio City, it was an office and entertaining area with a bedroom and bathroom bestowed upon theater impresario Samuel ‘Roxy’ Rothafel by the Rockefeller family in 1932. With its gold leaf ceilings, marble, custom-made wooden furniture crafted in the early 1930s, shower with 12 jets, it is an incredible insight into how the other half lived at a time when America was in the grip of the Great Depression. Tucked within Radio City Music Hall is a secret apartment that has been almost untouched since 1936. ![]()
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