75 Rockefeller Plaza is a

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ri ...

on the north side of 51st Street in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, originally built as a northern extension to Rockefeller Center.

History

In July 1944, the Rockefellers began planning a new 16-story tower to house the Standard Oil Company (Esso), which had outgrown its lease at the nearby 30 Rockefeller Plaza.Landmark Designation
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, 1985. The structure was completed in 1947 in early Modernist style. It was originally known as the ''Esso Building''. At completion, the building was the tallest completely air-conditioned building in New York City, and the first in Rockefeller Center. The building also housed Schrafft's Restaurant which had a capacity of 1,283 people, making it the largest restaurant in the world at the time. Standard Oil's successor,

Exxon ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 3 ...

, moved to the newly built

1251 Avenue of the Americas 1251 Avenue of the Americas, formerly known as the Exxon Building, is a skyscraper on Sixth Avenue (also known as Avenue of the Americas), between 49th and 50th Streets, in Manhattan, New York City. It is owned by Mitsui Fudosan. The structure i ...

in 1971. In 1973, the heating, ventilation and air‐conditioning systems in the building were replaced, along with some upgrades to the electrical systems. After these renovations,

Warner Communications Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

(later

Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

) leased all of Exxon's former space, which led to the building becoming known as the ''Warner Communications Building''. Warner initially occupied only of space and subleased the rest to tenants including the

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

, Thomson-CSF, PBS, and

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

. In December 1996, a fire at the TGI Fridays in the basement of the building led to a minor explosion in a top-floor equipment room, causing the building to be evacuated. In 2012, Time Warner indicated that they would not be renewing their space in the building due to their move to Time Warner Center, which would leave the building virtually empty in 2014. After Time Warner vacated the space, Rockefeller Center's owners brought in RXR Realty by a $500 million, 99-year

lease A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

to manage the building's office space. As part of the deal, RXR would spend $250 million to renovate the building in a plan designed by

Kohn Pedersen Fox Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) is an American architecture firm that provides architecture, interior, programming and master planning services for clients in both the public and private sectors. KPF is one of the largest architecture firms in ...

. The renovation included a new lobby, replacement of the elevator cabs, new mechanical, electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, and a complete façade restoration. Following the renovation, RXR secured Merrill Lynch Wealth Management as the anchor tenant in June 2016 with a lease. The American Girl Store also signed a 2-story, lease to relocate its flagship store from nearby Fifth Avenue. In August 2017, Austrian bank

Erste Group Erste Group Bank AG (Erste Group) is an Austrian financial service provider in Central and Eastern Europe serving 15.7 million clients in over 2,700 branches in seven countries. History Erste Group was founded in October 1819 as ''Erste österr ...

signed a lease in the building for their New York outpost. In October 2018, co-working startup Convene announced plans to open a , invite-only "Club 75" on the 32nd floor with a library, dining space, lounge, and event space.

Owners

The building is owned by

Mohamed Al Fayed Mohamed Al-Fayed (; arz, محمد الفايد ; born 27 January 1929) is an Egyptian-born businessman whose residence and chief business interests have been in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s. His business interests include ownership of ...

and managed and leased by RXR Realty.

References

External links

* {{Midtown North, Manhattan Rockefeller Center Art Deco architecture in Manhattan Art Deco skyscrapers Skyscraper office buildings in Manhattan Office buildings completed in 1947 1940s architecture in the United States Carson and Lundin buildings Modernist architecture in New York City 1947 establishments in New York City