page_title: 30 Rockefeller Plaza
section_title: Observation deck
hierarchical_section_title: 30 Rockefeller Plaza / Description / Features / Observation deck
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Panoramaaufnahme vom der oberen Aussichtsplattform Top of the Rock auf dem GE Building im Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York. Unter anderem zu sehen sind von links nach rechts das Chrysler Building (hinter dem MetLife Building), Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, Verrazano-Narrows-Brücke (am Horizont), MetLife Tower (mit der weiss beleuchteten Spitze), das Empire State Building (in rot grüner Weihnachtsbeleuchtung) und das Condé Nast Building (mit dem großen Mast). Die untere Aussichtsplattform mit ihrer gläsernen Barriere ist am rechten Rand zu sehen. English: Panoramic image looking south from the upper deck of the 'Top of the Rock' observation deck on Rockefeller Center. Lower deck is visible on the right edge of the frame. Français&#160;: Image panoramique en regardant vers le sud depuis la terrasse supérieure "Top of the Rock" du Rockefeller Center. La terrasse inférieure est visible sur la droite.
context_page_description: 30 Rockefeller Plaza is an American Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Completed in 1933, it was designed by Raymond Hood, Rockefeller Center's lead architect. 30 Rockefeller Center was formerly called the RCA Building from its opening to 1988, and later the GE Building from 1988 to 2015. It was renamed the Comcast Building in 2015, following the transfer of ownership to new corporate owner Comcast, though its name is often shortened to 30 Rock.
  The building houses the headquarters and New York studios of television network NBC; the Rainbow Room restaurant; and an observation deck called Top of the Rock. 30 Rockefeller Plaza also contains numerous artworks commissioned as part of the building's construction. At 850 feet high, the 66-story building is the 28th tallest in New York City and the 60th tallest in the United States.
  30 Rockefeller Plaza was built as part of the construction of Rockefeller Center. Work on the steel structure of the RCA Building started in March 1932.
context_section_description: The observation deck atop the skyscraper, dubbed "Top of the Rock", is built to resemble the deck of an ocean liner. It offers sightseers a bird's eye view of the city, competing with the 86th-floor observatory of the Empire State Building 200 feet (61 m) higher. It is often considered the best panoramic city view, mainly because it offers a far-away view of the Empire State Building. The timed entry system and larger observation deck also results in shorter waiting times compared to the Empire State. The frameless safety glass around the perimeter of the deck dates to 2005, when the facility reopened to the public. In the renovation by Gabellini Sheppard Associates, the original limestone and cast aluminum architectural details were conserved and new interiors were added.
  The "Top of the Rock" had also been co-opted for NBC's Sunday Night Football during the 2006–07 season, with the top player/MVP in that night's game according to John Madden and Al Michaels receiving the honor of being that night's "Rock Star" in the form of a glass trophy display on the observation deck; this was a replacement for the Horse Trailer Award formerly awarded on ABC's Monday Night Football. The Horse Trailer honor was restored for the 2007–08 season.
caption: Panoramic view looking south from the Top of the Rock at sunset
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