Rockefeller Center; Channel Gardens, Promenade and Plaza (New York, NY) : Channel Gardens, general view

Creator:

Chambellan, Rene Paul, 1893-1955
Hood, Raymond M., 1881-1934
Manship, Paul, 1885-1966

Published/Created:

Between 50th and 49th Streets and 5th Avenue and the Promenade, pedestrian street, New York, New York, United States
ca. 1934-1936

Physical Description:

59 ft (wide, ice rink) x 122 ft (length, ice rink)

Date Depicted:

6/14/2011

Materials:

bronze; paving; plant materials; gold leaf

Notes:

The Channel Gardens separates La Maison Française (610 Fifth Avenue) from the British Empire Building (620 Fifth Avenue), just as the English Channel separates the two countries. The gardens are built on a gentle slope leading to the Sunken Plaza. There are 6 pools with fountainhead sculptures. The tritons, nereids, and other bronze creatures in the garden fountains are the work of sculptor René Chambellan. The design for each of them was personally approved by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The Sunken Plaza was planned primarily to lure customers down to the center's extensive underground concourses. It was equipped with a winter ice skating rink for the first time in 1936. It contains the Manship statues "Mankind (Maiden and Youth)" flanking the entrance and the gold gilded "Prometheus" in the plaza fountain. The Promenade between the Plaza and 30 Rockefeller Center was originally planned as a through street, but a building owner on West 52nd St. blocked that plan and eventually it was closed to traffic.

Variant Titles:

Channel Gardens, Promenade and Plaza

Topics:

Architecture -- United States -- 20th century -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Art Deco
Twentieth century

Culture:

American

Accession Number:

1A1-RH-RC-S06

Genre:

architecture (AAT)
fountains (AAT)
gardens (AAT)
promenades (walkways) (AAT)
sculpture (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

built works; hydraulic structures; water distribution structures; fountains; open spaces; gardens; open spaces; walkways; promenades (walkways); visual works; sculpture (visual work)

Source Creator:

Gilchrist, Scott

Source Title:

Archivision Addition Module Eight

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
6/14/2011 12:00:00 AM

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2013; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Local Record Number:

4654

OID:

10896947

PID:

digcoll:1855144