In 1929, during the devastating stock market crash, John D. Rockefeller decided to create a new Metropolitan Opera House in Manhattan, despite the plummeting economy and dismal business outlook of New York City. Rockefeller partnered with the Radio Corp. of America (RCA) and S.L. "Roxy" Rothafel to create "a theater unlike any in the world," later dubbed Radio City Music Hall. The aim of Radio City Music Hall was to present a beautiful "palace" venue offering high-quality entertainment at affordable prices.
Radio City Music Hall serves as a performance venue for numerous kinds of spectacles and events. The theater has hosted many film premieres; more than 700 films have opened at Radio City since 1933, including the original "King Kong," "National Velvet" (starring a young Elizabeth Taylor) and "Breakfast at Tiffany's." The hall continued to present films through 1979, when it gradually transitioned into the country's premiere hall for live concerts and stage shows. Every year, Radio City accommodates more than 1 million visitors during the Christmas season with its Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
Relatively unknown interior designer Donald Deskey secured his legacy by creating and developing rooms like the Grand Lobby at Radio City Music Hall. According to the Radio City Music Hall website, Deskey "chose elegance over excess, grandeur above glitz." Deskey designed the furniture and carpets of the hall and also coordinated the design of the railings, signage and decorative details. Deskey combined a variety of materials such as marble, gold foil, Bakelite, Permatex, aluminum and cork to design the interior space.
Legendary performers like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Ella Fitzgerald performed at the Radio City Music Hall, as have John Denver, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder, Sting, and Billy Crystal. The hall continues to attract the biggest stars in the entertainment business. Arguably the most notable attraction at Radio City Music Hall is one of the world's most famous and well-known precision dance troupes, the the Radio City Rockettes. The Rockettes have been performing at Radio City, as well as touring the world, for more than 75 years. The Rockettes appear in New York City's annual Thanksgiving Day parade, the Rockefeller Center tree- lighting ceremony and the annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
Radio City Music Hall is the biggest indoor theater in the world. Its outdoor marquee actually measures one city block in length. Its interior auditorium is 160 feet long from back of house to the stage and is 84 feet high from floor to ceiling. A large proscenium arch frames the stage, and measures 60 feet high by 100 feet wide. The hall can hold close to 6,000 spectators at one time. The pipes of the "Mighty Wurlitzer" organ range in size from 32 feet, and are stationed in 11 rooms. The theater holds more than 25,000 lights.