| 75 Rockefeller Plaza | |
|---|---|
 75 Rockefeller Plaza | |
 | |
| Former names | AOL Time Warner Building (2001–2003), Time Warner Building (1990–2001), Warner Communications Building (1973–1990), Esso Building (1947–1973) |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office |
| Address | 15 West 51st Street |
| Town or city | New York City |
| Country | United States |
| Construction started | July 1946 |
| Completed | September 1947 |
| Owner | Mohamed Al Fayed |
| Landlord | RXR Realty |
| Height | 424 ft (129 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Steel |
| Floor count | 33 |
| Floor area | 578,237 sq ft (53,720.0 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 14 (12 passenger, 2 service) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Carson & Lundin; Wallace K. Harrison |
| Developer | The Rockefeller Group |
| References | |
| [1] | |
75 Rockefeller Plaza is a skyscraper on the north side of 51st Street in New York City, originally built as a northern extension of Rockefeller Center.
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.[2] The structure was completed in 1947 in the 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.[2] Standard Oil's successor, Exxon, moved to the newly built 1251 Avenue of the Americas 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 (later Time Warner) leased all 570,000 square feet (53,000 m2) of Exxon's former space, which led to the building becoming known as the Warner Communications Building.[3] Warner initially occupied only 340,000 square feet (32,000 m2) of space and subleased the rest to tenants including the Financial Times, Thomson-CSF, PBS, and The Economist.[4]
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.[5] 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.[6]
After Time Warner vacated the space, Rockefeller Center's owners brought in RXR Realty by a $500 million, 99-year lease to manage the building's office space.[7] As part of the deal, RXR would spend $250 million to renovate the building in a plan designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. The renovation included a new lobby, replacement of the elevator cabs, new mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems, and a complete façade restoration.[8]
Following the renovation, RXR secured Merrill Lynch Wealth Management as the anchor tenant in June 2016 with a 125,000 square feet (11,600 m2) lease.[9] The American Girl Store also signed a 2-story, 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) lease to relocate its flagship store from nearby Fifth Avenue.[10] In August 2017, Austrian bank Erste Group signed a 14,000 square feet (1,300 m2) lease in the building for their New York outpost.[11] In October 2018, co-working startup Convene announced plans to open a 14,000 square feet (1,300 m2), invite-only "Club 75" on the 32nd floor with a library, dining space, lounge, and event space.[12]
