View source for Rockefeller Apartments

{{Short description|Residential building in Manhattan, New York}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox building
| name                = Rockefeller Apartments
| alternate_names     = 
| image               = W 54th St Mar 2021 29.jpg
| image_caption       = Seen in 2021
| image_size          = 
| image_alt           = The facade of the Rockefeller Apartments as seen in 2021
| completion_date     = October 1, 1936
| building_type       = [[Cooperative apartment|Residential cooperative]]
| architectural_style = [[International Style (architecture)|International Style]]
| address             = 17 West 54th Street<br/>24 West 55th Street
| location            = [[Manhattan]], New York, US
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
| coordinates = {{coord|40.761950|-73.976540|format=dms|display=it}}
| roof                = 
| floor_count         = 11
| floor_area          = 
| elevator_count      = 4
| grounds_area        = {{convert|25000|ft2}}
| start_date          = March 1936
| architect           = [[Wallace Harrison]] and [[J. André Fouilhoux]]
| client              = 
| material            = Tawny brick, glass (facade)
| main_contractor     = Barr, Irons & Lane Inc
| embedded            = {{Designation list
| embed               = yes
| designation1        = NYCL
| designation1_number = 1276<ref name="NYCL p. 1" />
| designation1_date   = June 19, 1984<ref name="NYCL p. 1" />
}}
}}

The '''Rockefeller Apartments''' is a residential building at 17 West [[54th Street (Manhattan)|54th Street]] and 24 West [[55th Street (Manhattan)|55th Street]] in the [[Midtown Manhattan]] neighborhood of [[New York City]]. Designed by [[Wallace Harrison]] and [[J. André Fouilhoux]] in the [[International Style (architecture)|International Style]], the Rockefeller Apartments was constructed between 1935 and 1936. The complex was originally designed with 138 apartments.

The apartment complex, just north of the [[Museum of Modern Art]], was built on land left over from the [[construction of Rockefeller Center]]. The Rockefeller Apartments consists of two towers, one facing north toward 55th Street and one facing south toward 54th Street. The land under the Rockefeller Apartments had been owned by the [[Rockefeller family]], and the architects had been involved in designing [[Rockefeller Center]]. The two towers are 11 stories and are faced with brick, with partially protruding cylindrical bays. The interior was intended to allow fifteen percent more air and natural light compared to contemporary building regulations. The ground floor contains a location of [[Michael's (restaurant)|Michael's Restaurant]].

The Rockefeller family had secretly acquired the site by the 1930s, although this was not disclosed until the plans for the apartment complex were announced in November 1935. The family had intended to remodel existing houses on the site, though they instead decided to build an apartment complex to complement Rockefeller Center, connected via an ultimately unbuilt extension of [[Rockefeller Plaza]]. The complex was fully leased by the time residents moved to the apartments in October 1936. The building was sold to the [[Astor family]] in 1945 and Henry Goelet in 1953, and it became a [[Housing cooperative|cooperative apartment]] complex in 1954. The [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] designated the complex as a city landmark in 1984.

==Site==
The Rockefeller Apartments are in the [[Midtown Manhattan]] neighborhood of [[New York City]].<ref name="aia5">{{cite aia5|pages=333-334}}</ref> The complex has an address of 17 West [[54th Street (Manhattan)|54th Street]] to the south and 24 West [[55th Street (Manhattan)|55th Street]] to the north,<ref name="NYCL p. 9">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1984|ps=.|p=9}}</ref> midblock between [[Fifth Avenue]] and [[Sixth Avenue]].<ref name="aia5" /> The [[land lot]] is rectangular and covers around {{convert|25,000|ft2}},<ref name="p1330600452">{{cite news|date=December 10, 1935|title=Rockefeller Jr. Files Plans for 54th St. Suites: Two 11-Story Apartments to Cost $2,500,000 Arc To Be Erected at Owe Believed First of Colony Units Will Be Ready for Occupancy in October|page=19|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1330600452}}}}</ref><ref name="ZoLa" /> with a [[frontage]] of {{convert|125|ft}} on either street and a depth of about {{Convert|200|ft}}.<ref name="ZoLa" /><ref name="p1291098982">{{cite news|date=June 27, 1945|title=Two 11-Story Houses Bought By Astor Estate: Rockefeller Apartment in West 54th, 55th Streets Are Sold for $1,675,000|page=29|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1291098982}}}}</ref><ref name="p107259333">{{cite news|date=June 27, 1945|title=Astor Estate Buys Rockefeller Suites|page=30|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1945/06/27/88250568.pdf|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|107259333}}|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133048/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1945/06/27/88250568.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> To the east, the Rockefeller Apartments abut the residences at [[13 and 15 West 54th Street|15, 13]], [[11 West 54th Street|11]], [[7 West 54th Street|7]], and [[5 West 54th Street]], as well as the [[University Club of New York]] and [[The Peninsula New York]] hotel. Other nearby locations include the houses at [[10 West 56th Street|10]], [[12 West 56th Street|12]], [[26 West 56th Street|26]], and [[30 West 56th Street]] to the north; [[712 Fifth Avenue]] and the [[Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church]] to the northeast; [[46 West 55th Street]] to the west; [[53W53]] to the southwest; the [[Museum of Modern Art]] (MoMA) to the south; and [[Saint Thomas Church (Manhattan)|Saint Thomas Church]] to the southeast.<ref name="aia5" /><ref name="ZoLa">{{Cite web|title=17 West 54 Street, 10019|url=https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1270/20#16.85/40.761937/-73.975016|url-status=live|access-date=March 20, 2020|publisher=[[New York City Department of City Planning]]|archive-date=May 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525195836/https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1270/20#16.85/40.761937/-73.975016}}</ref>

Prior to the development of Rockefeller Apartments, the site was occupied by low-density residences.<ref name="NYCL p. 2">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1984|ps=.|p=2}}</ref> The nearby section of Fifth Avenue between [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd Street]] and [[Central Park South]] (59th Street) was relatively undeveloped through the late 19th century.<ref name="NYCL-2327">{{cite web|date=June 23, 2009|title=John Peirce Residence|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2327.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610192640/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2327.pdf|archive-date=June 10, 2021|access-date=April 28, 2021|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|page=2|url-status=live}}</ref> The surrounding area was once part of the common lands of the city of New York.<ref>{{cite web |last=Stokes |first=Isaac Newton Phelps |year=1915 |title=The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498–1909 |url=https://archive.org/details/iconographyofman06stok |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415060518/http://archive.org:80/details/iconographyofman06stok |archive-date=April 15, 2012 |volume=6 |publisher=Robert H. Dodd |page=67 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> The lots along Fifth Avenue were laid out in the late 18th century following the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref name="NYCL-2327" /> Upscale residences were constructed around Fifth Avenue following the [[American Civil War]].<ref name="NYCL-2327" /><ref>{{cite NY1880|page=578}}</ref> The two-block stretch of West and East 54th Street from [[Madison Avenue]] to Sixth Avenue, bisected by Fifth Avenue, was developed with the houses of prominent figures such as [[William Henry Moore (judge)|William Henry Moore]], [[John R. Platt]], and [[John D. Rockefeller]] Sr.<ref>{{cite web|date=November 22, 2016|title=Minnie E. Young House|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2577.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915233331/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2577.pdf|archive-date=September 15, 2017|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|page=4|access-date=August 9, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> The neighboring houses at 5–15 West 54th Street were developed between 1896 and 1900 as part of this row of upscale houses.<ref name="nyt20060618">{{Cite news|last=Gray|first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Gray (architectural historian)|date=June 18, 2006|title=Interior Details Come Home Again to Millionaires' Row|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/realestate/18scap.html|access-date=May 19, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519143226/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/realestate/18scap.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]], nicknamed "Junior", once occupied house number 13 before moving across the street to a now-demolished house at number 10.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gray|first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Gray (architectural historian)|date=May 22, 1994|title=Streetscapes/The Rockefeller City House; Pied-a-Terre Off Fifth for a Parsimonious Billionaire|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/22/realestate/streetscapes-rockefeller-city-house-pied-terre-off-fifth-for-parsimonious.html|access-date=May 25, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430181544/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/22/realestate/streetscapes-rockefeller-city-house-pied-terre-off-fifth-for-parsimonious.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Architecture==
The two towers comprising the Rockefeller Apartments were commissioned by Junior and his son, [[Nelson Rockefeller]].<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> They were designed in the [[International Style (architecture)|International Style]] by [[Wallace Harrison]] and [[J. André Fouilhoux]].<ref name="aia5" /><ref name="Stern (1987) p. 421" /> The architects sought to design the apartment complex as an up-to-date model community.<ref name="p101704436">{{cite news|date=September 30, 1936|title=Rockefeller Apartments Reported Fully Rented|page=46|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/09/30/88001876.pdf|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|101704436}}|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133047/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/09/30/88001876.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="p1222120552">{{cite news|date=September 30, 1936|title=Rockefeller Suites Rented, Agent Reports: Record Leasing of 138 Apartments Since March Claimed for Two Houses|page=41|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1222120552}}}}</ref>  The [[general contractor]] was Barr, Irons & Lane Inc.<ref name="p1247910233">{{cite news|date=March 27, 1936|title=Steel to Go Up On Rockefeller Suites in Week: Excavations Completed on 'Railroad Time' for Two West 54th St. Buildings|page=36|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1330600452}}}}</ref><ref name="p101922383">{{cite news|date=March 27, 1936|title=Rockefeller Suites Provide Recreation: Excavations Finished and Steel Work Will Start at Once on Apartments|page=42|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/03/27/87927268.pdf|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|101922383}}|archive-date=December 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205223404/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/03/27/87927268.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AF p. 5">{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1937|ps=.|p=5}}</ref> Various contractors were hired for the windows, materials, elevators, floor and wall coverings, furnishings, hardware, electrical installation, plumbing, and heating and air conditioning.<ref name="AF p. 12">{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1937|ps=.|p=12}}</ref>

=== Form and facade ===
The complex's northern and southern towers are similar to one another. Both structures are eleven stories tall and symmetrically arranged with protruding glass-enclosed cylindrical "bows".<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref name="Stern (1987) p. 421">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|ps=.|p=421}}</ref> The protruding bows measure {{Convert|8|ft}} deep by up to {{Convert|14|ft}} wide and extend to the sidewalk boundary on both ends.<ref name="p1330600452" /> Both towers are separated from each other by a ground-floor garden. The lower nine floors of each tower occupy the same area as each other, but the tenth floor is [[Setback (architecture)|set back]] on the west and east, and the eleventh floor is set back on all sides.<ref name="AR 1936-10">{{cite magazine|date=Oct 1936|title=Rockefeller Apartments, New York City|url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1936-07-12.pdf|journal=Architectural Record|volume=80|pages=302–303|access-date=May 27, 2021|archive-date=May 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526211213/https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1936-07-12.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] (LPC), the Rockefeller Apartments' twin-tower layout may have been inspired from the work of German architect [[Otto Haesler]], but the apartments' setback penthouses differed from Haesler's flat roofs.<ref name="NYCL pp. 7-8">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1984|ps=.|pp=7–8}}</ref>

Both facades are made of [[Tawny (color)|tawny]]-colored [[brick]] laid within tawny [[Mortar (masonry)|mortar]].<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> The bricks used in the facade are {{Convert|12|in}} thick and were made by the Hanley Company.<ref name="AF p. 12" /> The facades contain steel [[casement window]]s, which are placed flush with the facade. The windows inside the bows are curved. There are no major decorative elements other than these cylindrical bows.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> The curved bows were glazed for two-thirds of their circumference and may have been inspired by Haesler's design for the [[Georgsgarten Settlement]].<ref name="NYCL p. 8">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1984|ps=.|p=8}}</ref> The window frames were made by the Detroit Steel Products Company and the glass was made by the [[Pittsburgh Plate Glass]] Company.<ref name="AF p. 12" />
[[File:W 54th St Mar 2021 16.jpg|thumb|The bowed bays on 54th Street|alt=The cylindrical window bays, which are arranged into "bows" facing 54th Street]]
On the southern tower facing 54th Street, the entrance is through two doors and contains a metal canopy that cantilevers from above the center of the first story. The address "17 West 54th Street" is printed on the sides of the canopy. Behind the [[Flashing (weatherproofing)|flashing]] on each of the canopy's three sides are flanges, which contain sliding hooks that formerly supported canvas curtains. On either side of the 54th Street entrance are planters and offices.<ref name="NYCL p. 10">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1984|ps=.|p=10}}</ref> The 54th Street facade contains four cylindrical bows, two at either end. The outermost bows on either side rise to the 10th story, while the inner bows rise the entire 11-story height of the building. On each story, between the 10- and 11-story bows on either side, there is one pair of small casement windows. There are six large windows on the rest of the facade: one at the end of the facade on each story, outside the outermost bows, as well as four between the two innermost bows. These large openings each consist of three casement windows with their own [[transom window]]s above, as well as a single ventilation opening below the transom.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" />

On the north tower facing 55th Street, the entrance contains a similar metal canopy and two doorways. There are storefronts on either side of the secondary entrance.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> On the rest of the facade, there are two cylindrical bows, one on either end, which rise only to the ninth story. There are large window openings on the extreme ends of the facade, outside each bow, as well as pairs of small casement windows on the opposite side of the bow, similar to the south tower's 54th Street facade. However, instead of having two additional bows, the entire center section of the 55th Street facade is projected from the rest of the facade. This projecting section contains four large window openings in the center, similar to those on 54th Street, which in turn are flanked by curved windows. The projecting section rises the full 11-story height of the facade.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" />

=== Features ===
The architects arranged the apartments so they were all illuminated well, even though the layout resulted in fewer units than in comparable buildings. As a result, the apartment towers do not occupy the full area of their lot.<ref name="AF p. 5" /> The plan allowed 15 percent more air and natural light than other apartments of the time.<ref name="NYCL p. 1">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1984|ps=.|p=1}}</ref><ref name="53W53-EIS">{{Cite book|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/applicants/env-review/53_west_53/07_feis.pdf|title=53 West 53rd Street Environmental Impact Statement|date=August 28, 2009|publisher=New York City Department of City Planning|pages=9|chapter=7: Historic Resources|access-date=May 27, 2021|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214741/https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/applicants/env-review/53_west_53/07_feis.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Structural features ====
The Rockefeller Apartments' internal structure contains a layer of {{Convert|3|in|4=-thick|adj=mid}} freestanding [[gypsum]], separated from the brick facade by a small air gap. The concrete partitions separating the different units were made by the Aerocrete Company. The cinder-concrete and [[Architectural terracotta|terracotta]] partitions, demarcating bathrooms and shafts within the individual units, were made by the National Tile Company, while the 3-inch-thick gypsum and metal [[lath]] walls inside the individual apartments were manufactured by the Consolidated Expanded Metal Company. Post & McCord made the steel skeletal frame.<ref name="AF p. 12" />

The roofs of either tower were to be used as playgrounds and sunroofs. Also included in the plans were a communal playroom and squash court. One-third of the plot was to be reserved for a public walkway, covered by glass during winters and left open during summers.<ref name="p1330600452" /> A private community garden separates the two towers.<ref name="p101704436" /><ref name="p1222120552" /> The garden covers about {{Convert|7600|ft2}}.<ref name="p112673383">{{cite news|date=July 31, 1953|title=$3,000,000 Cost Set for Tenants To Buy Rockefeller Apartments|page=30|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/07/31/84415947.pdf|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|112673383}}|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133047/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/07/31/84415947.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> The garden varies between {{Convert|43|and|78|ft}} wide between the buildings, and it is 125 feet long, the same as the lot width. A tunnel runs under the garden between the two towers.<ref name="AR 1936-10" />

==== Interior spaces ====
The first floor is designed largely as a public space.<ref name="p1330600452" /> At the time of opening, the first floor had a drugstore and restaurant.<ref name="p101704436" /><ref name="p1222120552" /> According to plans, the drugstore and restaurant were placed within the northern tower, with the drugstore to the west of the entrance and the restaurant and attached kitchen to the east. The entire first floor in the southern tower, as well as the area behind the drugstore in the northern tower, was devoted to offices. The towers are separated by a garden, and a passage connects both entrances.<ref name="AF p. 7">{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1937|ps=.|p=7}}</ref> Since 1989, the 55th Street restaurant space has been occupied by [[Michael's (restaurant)|Michael's Restaurant]].<ref name="nyt19891124">{{Cite news|last=Miller|first=Bryan|date=November 24, 1989|title=Diner's Journal|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/24/arts/diner-s-journal.html|access-date=May 27, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810014942/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/24/arts/diner-s-journal.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The other floors are devoted entirely to apartments.<ref name="p1330600452" /> According to Junior's original plans, there were to be 120 apartments of two to six rooms, or 60 in each structure including two duplex suites of six rooms and four maisonette apartments.<ref name="p1222027738">{{cite news|date=November 21, 1935|title=Building Plans Of Rockefeller Ready to File: Specifications for 2 Midtown Apartment Buildings Go on Record Today|page=42|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1222027738}}}}</ref> This was subsequently revised upward to 138 apartments at the time of the building's opening.<ref name="p101704436" /><ref name="p1222120552" /> {{As of|2014}}, the number of apartments had decreased to about 120.<ref name="wsj20140317">{{Cite news|date=March 17, 2014|title=What's the Deal|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url-access=subscription|url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303730804579439550974820992.html|access-date=May 27, 2021|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133050/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303730804579439550974820992|url-status=live}}</ref>  Each tower has two elevators and two staircases, one each corresponding to the west and east of the first-floor entrance hallway. The elevators are clustered near the center of each tower, while the stair halls are further west and east; these are connected by a single corridor on each floor.<ref name="AF p. 7" /> The floors of the corridors were laid in terrazzo with carpeting above it. The corridor walls were designed with marble and wood.<ref name="AF p. 12" />

Apartments range from studios to two-bedroom units.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> In the southern tower, the typical story has six apartments, four facing the street and two facing the rear; the northern tower is similar. In the units facing the street, each apartment has one room that extends into the cylindrical bay.<ref name="AF p. 7" /> These bays are designed as dining rooms or solarium that could fit six to eight people.<ref name="p101704436" /><ref name="p1222120552" />  The bedrooms facing the streets were equipped with air filters and noise cancellation systems.<ref name="p1247910233" /><ref name="p101922383" /> Each apartment was also designed with its own log-burning fireplace.<ref name="Stern (1987) p. 421" /><ref name="p101704436" /><ref name="p1222120552" /> The floors of each apartment were largely made of oak, but the bathroom floors were made of tile and the kitchen floors were made of linoleum. [[Venetian blind]]s and window shades were also installed for each window.<ref name="AF p. 12" /> Penthouses are placed on the setbacks of each tower.<ref name="p1330600452" /> Each penthouse level contains four apartments.<ref name="AF p. 7" /> Glass parapets shielded the living spaces on the upper stories.<ref name="Stern (1987) p. 424">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|ps=.|p=424}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:W_54th_St_Mar_2021_36.jpg|thumb|Seen from east, with [[13 and 15 West 54th Street|15 West 54th Street]] at right|alt=The Rockefeller Apartments as seen from the east, with 15 West 54th Street at right]]
[[Rockefeller Center]], three city blocks south of the modern Rockefeller Apartments, was built by the [[Rockefeller family]] in the 1930s. The "Associated Architects" for [[construction of Rockefeller Center|that complex's construction]] were selected in 1929.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Adams|first=Janet|date=1985|title=Rockefeller Center|url=http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/1985RockefellerCenter.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107113311/http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/1985RockefellerCenter.pdf|archive-date=November 7, 2017|access-date=November 22, 2017|publisher=[[Government of New York City|City of New York]]; [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|location=New York|page=13}}</ref> One member of Rockefeller Center's team, Wallace Harrison, became the Rockefeller family's principal architect and an adviser to Nelson Rockefeller.<ref>{{cite news|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|author-link=Paul Goldberger|date=December 3, 1981|title=Wallace Harrison Dead At 86|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/03/obituaries/wallace-harrison-dead-at-86-rockefeller-center-architect.html|access-date=November 16, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324012339/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/03/obituaries/wallace-harrison-dead-at-86-rockefeller-center-architect.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Balfour|first=Alan|url=https://archive.org/details/rockefellercente0000balf|title=Rockefeller Center: Architecture as Theater|publisher=McGraw-Hill, Inc.|year=1978|isbn=978-0-07003-480-8|location=New York|page=28|url-access=registration}}</ref> The two men had become closely acquainted during the development of Rockefeller Center.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /> On the other hand, J. André Fouilhoux never had much to do with Rockefeller Center's development, despite being one of the eight Associated Architects.<ref>{{cite book|last=Okrent|first=Daniel|title=[[Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center]]|publisher=Penguin Book|year=2003|isbn=978-0-142-00177-6|location=London|page=327|author-link=Daniel Okrent}}</ref> Nevertheless, Fouilhoux was a partner of [[Raymond Hood]] and, after Hood's death in 1934, Fouilhoux and Harrison worked together as well.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> What would become the Rockefeller Apartments was part of Nelson Rockefeller's goal to entice tenants for Rockefeller Center.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" />

=== Planning and construction ===
In addition to the land acquired for Rockefeller Center, the Rockefeller family acquired land north of the complex to 55th Street. While the city blocks between [[52nd Street (Manhattan)|52nd]] and 54th Streets were developed as the [[53rd Street Library]] and MoMA,<ref name="aia5" /><ref name="NYCL p. 2" /> no development was initially planned for the 54th and 55th Street site itself.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref name="AF p. 5" /> The Rockefellers first contemplated renovating the existing houses between 54th and 55th Streets. They ultimately decided on constructing a new apartment development, which they saw as better use of space.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref name="AF p. 5" /> Harrison and Fouilhoux initially planned a 13-story apartment with [[Setback (architecture)|setbacks]] at the 10th, 12th, and 13th floors.<ref name="AF p. 5" /><ref name="NYCL p. 6">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1984|ps=.|p=6}}</ref> A second proposal called for projecting cylindrical bows, similar to in the final design, but with square porches cut into the extreme ends of each facade, as well as internal porches. In a final blueprint, the internal porches were removed, and two cylindrical bows were added to the rendering of the facade.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /><ref name="AF p. 6">{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1937|ps=.|p=6}}</ref><ref group="lower-alpha">The blueprints for the apartments are in the collection of the [[Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library]] of [[Columbia University]]. See:

{{cite web|title=&#91;Rental plan for&#93; 24 West 55th Street &#91;and&#93; 17 West 54th Street, &#91;the Rockefeller Apartments&#93; : &#91;floor plans&#93;|url=https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/3460649|access-date=May 25, 2021|publisher=Columbia University|archive-date=May 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525225447/https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/3460649|url-status=live}}

{{cite magazine|title=&#91;Rental plans for&#93; 17 West 54th Street &#91;and&#93; 24 West 55th Street, &#91;the Rockefeller Apartments&#93; : &#91;floor plans&#93;|journal=Architectural Drawings and Papers|url=https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/3463752|access-date=May 25, 2021|publisher=Columbia University|last1=Harrison|first1=Wallace K.|last2=Fouilhoux|first2=Jacques André|date=|archive-date=May 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525225444/https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/3463752|url-status=live}}</ref> Original plans called for a uniform steel [[superstructure]], but the architects came to regard the steel as a secondary concern compared to apartment layouts.<ref name="AF p. 6" />

The Rockefellers had acquired these city blocks under various aliases, and it was not until November 1935 that the acquisitions were made public. That month, Junior announced he would construct an apartment complex at 17-23 West 54th Street and 24-36 West 55th Street. The announcement came after the 17 West 54th Street Corporation was incorporated in [[Albany, New York|Albany]], the New York state capital, to operate the development.<ref name="p1329363555">{{cite news|date=November 20, 1935|title=Rockefeller Jr. To Build Suites In West 54th St: Plans Apartments Facing His Home for Tenants of Rockefeller Center Cost Not Made Public Properly Bought to Prevent Apartment Construction|page=15|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1329363555}}}}</ref><ref name="p101335041">{{cite news|date=November 20, 1935|title=Rockefeller Gives Apartment Plans: Two 11-story Buildings of an Unusual Type to Rise in West 54th and 55th Streets|page=25|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/11/20/93716521.pdf|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|101335041}}|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133049/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/11/20/93716521.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="p128729358">{{cite news|date=November 20, 1935|title=Rockefeller to Build Apartments|page=2|work=The Wall Street Journal|issn=0099-9660|id={{ProQuest|128729358}}}}</ref> At the time, all but one building on the site had been demolished,<ref name="p1329363555" /> and many lots on the surrounding four city blocks had recently changed ownership.<ref name="p101335041" /> The Manhattan Bureau of Buildings received plans for the apartments the next month.<ref name="p1330600452" /> Junior also announced he would extend [[Rockefeller Plaza]], a street within Rockefeller Center, north to the apartments at 54th Street.<ref name="p1329363555" /> Rockefeller Center's managers acquired land for the proposed street between 1934 and 1937, but the extension was never built,<ref name="Krinsky1978">{{cite book|last=Krinsky|first=Carol H.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7xlDAQAAIAAJ|title=Rockefeller Center|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1978|isbn=978-0-19502-404-3|location=Oxford|pages=84–85|author-link=Carol Herselle Krinsky|access-date=May 27, 2021|archive-date=May 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527182855/https://books.google.com/books?id=7xlDAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> even though some of the buildings on the route were [[Condemned property|condemned]].<ref>{{cite news|date=November 14, 1935|title=Rockefeller Clearing Property|page=43|work=The New York Sun|url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252018%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%25201935%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%25201935%2520-%25204594.pdf|access-date=November 20, 2017|via=[[Fultonhistory.com]]|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133052/https://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2018/New%20York%20NY%20Sun/New%20York%20NY%20Sun%201935/New%20York%20NY%20Sun%201935%20-%204594.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The building itself was to cost $2.5 million.<ref name="p1247910233" /> Excavations for the site began in March 1936 and the first leases were signed around that time.<ref name="p101704436" /><ref name="p1222120552" /> Among the first tenants was a surgeon who leased two apartments that month.<ref name="p1222104705">{{cite news|date=March 17, 1936|title=Surgeon Leases 2 Suites in New Midtown House: Dr. C. W. Depping Takes Rockefeller Apartments Albert A.Tilney Rents|page=36|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1222104705}}}}</ref><ref name="p101937381">{{cite news|date=March 17, 1936|title=Rents Suites From Plan: Doctor Leases Two Apartments in New Rockefeller Unit|page=42|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/03/17/85260646.pdf|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|101937381}}|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133051/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/03/17/85260646.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> They were conducted rapidly, in what media described as "railroad time".<ref name="p1247910233" /> By the end of that month, excavations had been completed and the first steelwork was slated to be erected shortly afterward.<ref name="p1247910233" /><ref name="p101922383" /> When work on the steel began in the first week of April 1936, one-third of the apartments had already been rented.<ref name="p101926350">{{cite news|date=April 4, 1936|title=New Rockefeller Houses Reported a Third Rented|page=32|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/04/04/88649848.pdf|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|101926350}}|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133051/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/04/04/88649848.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> The steel frame was completed during the end of the following month, at which point 86 percent of the units had been leased.<ref>{{cite news|date=May 30, 1936|title=Rockefeller Apartments Reported 86% Filled|page=28|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1256548798}}}}</ref> The building was ready to receive tenants by October 1, 1936.<ref name="p101704436" /><ref name="p1222120552" />

=== Use ===

==== 20th century ====
[[File:W 54th St Mar 2021 22.jpg|thumb|Covered by scaffolding in March 2021|alt=View of the Rockefeller Apartments in March 2021, with scaffolding in front of the facade]]
All suites had been rented several days before the apartment complex's scheduled opening. A majority of the lessees were businesspersons working in Midtown, though the apartments were also home to retired businesspersons. The media described the development at the time as "the first important residential development in mid-Manhattan in the last five years".<ref name="p101704436" /><ref name="p1222120552" /> At the time of completion, annual rents ranged from $1,000 to $3,000, except the penthouse apartments, which rented for $2,700 to $3,500 apiece.<ref name="AR 1936-10" /> The towers remained nearly fully occupied even in subsequent years; in 1942, the 54th Street tower was recorded as being completely occupied,<ref name="p106460980">{{cite news|date=March 25, 1942|title=Apartments Taken Near Radio Center: Rockefeller Building on West 54th St. Is Filled, Twin House Renting Active|page=39|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1942/03/25/85026991.pdf|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|106460980}}|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133051/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1942/03/25/85026991.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="p1264640523">{{cite news|date=October 29, 1942|title=Last of Suites Now Rented at 17 W. 54th St|page=26|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1264640523}}}}</ref> while the 55th Street tower had five vacancies.<ref name="p106460980" />

In 1945, the estate of [[William Waldorf Astor]] bought the Rockefeller Apartments for about $1.675 million. The trustee, the [[Citibank|City Bank Farmers Trust Company]], took the title on behalf of the Astor estate.<ref name="p1291098982" /><ref name="p107259333" /> [[Henry Goelet]] acquired the building from the Astors in May 1953, paying an undisclosed sum in cash.<ref>{{cite news|date=May 15, 1953|title=Rockefeller Apartments Resold by Astor Interests|page=37|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1320004873}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=May 15, 1953|title=Astor Heirs Sell Midtown Housing: Henry Goelet Heads Syndicate Investing in Apartments on W. 53d St. -- Other City Deals|page=41|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/05/15/96622132.pdf|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|112745339}}|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133051/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/05/15/96622132.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> The same year, Rockefeller Apartments' management announced a plan to convert the complex to [[Housing cooperative|cooperative apartments]].<ref name="p112673383" /><ref>{{cite news|date=July 31, 1953|title=Rockefeller Suites Will Be Co-ops|page=26|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1322502293}}}}</ref> Under the plans, tenants would pay a one-time fee of between $5,500 and $16,500 to join the cooperative, then they would pay $7,500 to $12,000 per year for the apartments, excluding the monthly charges of $160 to $275. This was based on an assessed valuation of $3 million, which included a $1.8 million mortgage and $1.2 million from the one-time fees. Goelet proposed to redecorate and renovate public areas. At the time, there were 132 units and five doctors' offices, as well as the drugstore and restaurant.<ref name="p112673383" /> Of the tenants, 51 gathered to oppose the cooperative plan.<ref name="p112631316">{{cite news|date=August 14, 1953|title=Tenants Oppose 'Co-op': Some Lessees Seek to Stay on in Rockefeller Suites|page=28|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/08/14/83732790.pdf|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|112631316}}|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133052/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/08/14/83732790.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> The cooperative conversion went into effect in June 1954, despite some residents' opposition.<ref name="p112878044">{{cite news|date=June 20, 1954|title=Rockefeller Suites Under 'Co-op' Plan|page=R8|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|112878044}}}}</ref> The co-op conversion created 70 units.<ref name="Habitat Magazine, New Yorks Co-op and Condo Community 2009">{{cite web|date=May 8, 2009|title=Projects & Improvements Up Close: Rockefeller Apts - Fixing Up a Landmark|url=https://www.habitatmag.com/Publication-Content/Board-Operations/2009/2009-May/Projects-Improvements-Up-Close-Rockefeller-Apts-Fixing-Up-a-Landmark|access-date=May 27, 2021|website=Habitat Magazine, New York's Co-op and Condo Community|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810014941/https://www.habitatmag.com/Publication-Content/Board-Operations/2009/2009-May/Projects-Improvements-Up-Close-Rockefeller-Apts-Fixing-Up-a-Landmark|url-status=live}}</ref>

The LPC held public hearings in 1982 to consider the Rockefeller Apartments and several other structures for city landmark status.<ref>{{Cite news|last=White|first=Joyce|date=February 10, 1982|title=Neighbors of ex-synagogue saved by landmark decision|pages=109|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78388007/neighbors-of-ex-synagogue-saved-by/|access-date=May 27, 2021|archive-date=May 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527002508/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78388007/neighbors-of-ex-synagogue-saved-by/|url-status=live}}</ref> The LPC voted on the nomination in June 1984,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Shepard|first=Joan|date=June 13, 1984|title=Landmarkers nix Historical Society|pages=111|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78388048/landmarkers-nix-historical-society/|access-date=May 27, 2021|archive-date=May 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527002510/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78388048/landmarkers-nix-historical-society/|url-status=live}}</ref> and, on June 19 of that year, designated the Rockefeller Apartments as a city landmark.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dallas|first=Gus|date=June 21, 1984|title=Four buildings win landmarking|pages=125|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78388101/four-buildings-win-landmarking/|access-date=May 27, 2021|archive-date=May 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527002508/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78388101/four-buildings-win-landmarking/|url-status=live}}</ref> The co-op board opposed the landmark designation,<ref name="NYCL p. 1" /> and such a status required the board to receive approval from the LPC for every proposed change to the exterior.<ref name="wsj20140317" /> The restaurant space in the 55th Street tower was occupied by the Italian Pavilion until 1989, when it was replaced by Michael's Restaurant.<ref name="nyt19891124" /> The restaurant came to be frequented by numerous media personalities.<ref name="USA TODAY 2014">{{cite web|date=November 3, 2014|title=Wolff: Media is fat and happy at Michael's|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/wolff/2014/11/02/michaels-restaurant-25th-anniversary/18186273/|access-date=May 27, 2021|website=USA Today|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810014939/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/wolff/2014/11/02/michaels-restaurant-25th-anniversary/18186273/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="The Hollywood Reporter">{{cite web|title=NYC's Michael's Restaurant: Awkward Run-Ins, Big Deals Revealed by 27 VIPs in Dishy Oral History|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/nycs-michaels-restaurant-awkward-run-786750/|access-date=May 27, 2021|first=Frank|last=DiGiacomo|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=April 9, 2015|archive-date=June 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616151756/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/nycs-michaels-restaurant-awkward-run-786750/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[William Leggio Architect]] renovated the building in 1997.<ref name="Habitat Magazine, New Yorks Co-op and Condo Community 2009" /><ref name="53W53-EIS" />

==== 21st century ====
The building was renovated between 2005 and 2008. The co-op's residents wished to retain the style of the original bricks and steel windows. As a result, some leftover bricks from the original construction were used, and other bricks were fabricated.<ref name="Habitat Magazine, New Yorks Co-op and Condo Community 2009" /> In 2014, the Rockefeller Apartments received a 30-year mortgage for $23.85 million to finance renovations and pay off another loan.<ref name="wsj20140317" /><ref>{{cite web|date=April 3, 2014|title=Finance Briefs: Eastern navigates market like GPS; $23M Rockefeller loan; Cherry Hill mortgage|url=https://rew-online.com/finance-briefs-eastern-navigates-market-like-gsp-23m-rockefeller-loan-cherry-hill-mortgage/|access-date=May 27, 2021|website=Real Estate Weekly|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810014945/https://rew-online.com/finance-briefs-eastern-navigates-market-like-gsp-23m-rockefeller-loan-cherry-hill-mortgage/|url-status=live}}</ref> The co-op's president, Thomas Falus, said at the time that the windows needed to be replaced.<ref name="wsj20140317" /> The [[New York City Department of Buildings]] issued two notices of violations for the dilapidated windows in the following four years, which were both resolved. A plan to replace the windows was created in 2018, and the windows were replaced in 2020 and 2021 as part of a $16 million project.<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 20, 2021|title=Gum Surgeon Fights Co-op Renovation to Keep Practice Open|url=https://therealdeal.com/2021/01/20/renovation-of-stately-co-op-pits-gum-surgeon-against-board/|access-date=May 27, 2021|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|url-access=limited|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810014945/https://therealdeal.com/2021/01/20/renovation-of-stately-co-op-pits-gum-surgeon-against-board/|url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2021|April}}, the restaurant space is still occupied by Michael's.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kelly|first=Keith J.|date=April 20, 2021|title=Media hangout Michael's Restaurant set to reopen on April 21|url=https://nypost.com/2021/04/20/media-hangout-michaels-restaurant-set-to-reopen/|access-date=May 27, 2021|website=New York Post|language=en-US|archive-date=May 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514192519/https://nypost.com/2021/04/20/media-hangout-michaels-restaurant-set-to-reopen/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Critical reception ==
The Rockefeller Apartments were significantly different from previous apartment developments in the city, in that the design aimed to prioritize illumination and air rather than the number of residential units.<ref name="Stern (1987) p. 421" /><ref name="NYCL p. 1" /> At the building's opening, ''[[Architectural Forum]]'' magazine's editors praised the building for lacking any "idiocies" of a modern architectural style, such as corner windows facing each other, as well as horizontal and vertical "treatments". The editors wrote: "Here is sound building, architecture which carries conviction."<ref name="Stern (1987) p. 421" /><ref name="AF p. 5" /> Architectural critic [[Lewis Mumford]] wrote that the building was "the most brilliant and most successful example of modern architecture in the city", and that the ornament "begins to sing like the four-and-twenty blackbirds" when it was perceived from a certain vantage point.<ref name="Stern (1987) p. 421" /><ref name="Mumford">{{Cite magazine|last=Mumford|first=Lewis|date=October 3, 1936|title=The Sky Line: Modernity and Commerce|url=http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1936-10-03|magazine=The New Yorker|volume=13|pages=47–51|url-access=subscription|access-date=May 27, 2021|archive-date=July 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703161426/http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1936-10-03|url-status=live}}</ref> Mumford, in particular, praised the curved vertical bays and the glass parapets at the upper stories.<ref name="Mumford" /><ref name="Stern (1987) pp. 421-424">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|ps=.|pp=421–424}}</ref>

Praise of the building continued in later years. Architectural writer [[Robert A. M. Stern]] and the co-authors of his 1987 book ''New York 1930'' said the complex was the first middle-class apartments to be built in Midtown Manhattan in five years. According to Stern and his co-authors, the apartments "introduced a new elegance to efficiently, organized, modestly scaled accommodations and demonstrated that nonhistorical architecture need not necessarily be harsh and mechanistic".<ref name="Stern (1987) p. 421" /><ref name="CityRealty 2021"/> Critic [[Carter B. Horsley]] wrote that the project's relatively cheap cost and lack of detailing were positive attributes for the building. Referencing Mumford's comments, Horsley stated, "As a midblock, mid-rise design, it is very attractive even when the blackbirds are not whirring."<ref name="CityRealty 2021">{{cite web|date=May 27, 2021|title=CityRealty review of Rockefeller Apartments, 24 West 55th Street, Midtown West, New York, NY 10019|url=https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/midtown-west/rockefeller-apartments-24-west-55th-street/634|access-date=May 27, 2021|website=CityRealty|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810014944/https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/midtown-west/rockefeller-apartments-24-west-55th-street/634|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Notable residents ==
<!--
* [[Tom Gregory (producer)|Tom Gregory]], commentator-->
*[[Oscar Homolka]], actor, lived on 55th Street<ref>{{Cite news|date=November 7, 1939|title=Leasing of Suites Covers Wide Area; Oscar Homolka Takes Triple Penthouse Apartment in 24 West 55th Street|language=en-US|page=50|work=The New York Times|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1939/11/07/94736739.pdf|url-access=subscription|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133052/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1939/11/07/94736739.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> 
* [[Benjamin Kaye]], lawyer and playwright, lived on 54th Street<ref>{{Cite news|date=1970-03-26|title=Benjamin M. Kaye, Lawyer 63 Years|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/03/26/archives/benjamin-m-kaye-lawyer-63-years-tax-expert-and-successful.html|url-access=subscription|access-date=2021-09-18|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918063638/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/03/26/archives/benjamin-m-kaye-lawyer-63-years-tax-expert-and-successful.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Blanche Knopf]], publisher, lived on 55th Street<ref>{{Cite news|date=June 5, 1966|title=Mrs. Blanche Wolf Knopf of Publishing Firm Dies; Helped Husband to Found Company in 1915 Introduced Works of Many Authors Here and Abroad|language=en-US|page=86|work=The New York Times|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1966/06/05/93844557.pdf|url-access=subscription|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133052/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1966/06/05/93844557.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> 
*[[Gertrude Lawrence]], actress, lived on 54th Street<ref>{{cite news|date=October 18, 1939|title=Suite Leasing Takes a Spurt On the East Side: Gertrude Lawrence, Actress, Engages a Penthouse in Building in 54th Street|page=37|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1252673675}}}}</ref>
*[[Jules Levey]], producer, lived on 55th Street<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 4, 1975|title=Jules Levey Is Dead; a Film Producer, 78|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/01/04/archives/jules-levey-is-dead-a-film-producer-78.html|url-access=subscription|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526225207/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/01/04/archives/jules-levey-is-dead-a-film-producer-78.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 
* [[Alice Marble]], tennis player<ref>{{Cite book|last=Weintraub|first=Robert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eOs2EAAAQBAJ&dq=alice+marble+rockefeller+apartments&pg=PA321|title=The Divine Miss Marble: A Life of Tennis, Fame, and Mystery|date=2021-08-03|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-1-5247-4537-0|language=en|access-date=December 4, 2021|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133052/https://books.google.com/books?id=eOs2EAAAQBAJ&dq=alice+marble+rockefeller+apartments&pg=PA321|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Douglas McGrath]], director<ref>{{Cite news|last=Green|first=Penelope|date=March 15, 2007|title=The Moderns|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/15/garden/15rockefeller.html|url-access=limited|access-date=May 27, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810014940/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/15/garden/15rockefeller.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 
*[[Bernard Newman (designer)|Bernard Newman]], designer, lived on 54th Street<ref>{{Cite news|last=Engstead|first=John|date=December 1, 1966|title=Bernard Newman Is Dead at 63; Designer for Bergdorf Goodman|language=en-US|page=47|work=The New York Times|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1966/12/01/89655390.pdf|url-access=subscription|access-date=May 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133053/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1966/12/01/89655390.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> 
*[[Irene Rich]], actress, lived on 55th Street<ref name="p1244085457">{{cite news|date=July 10, 1937|title=Real Estate News and Market Transactions of New York City and Metropolitan Area: Actress Leases Apartment Unit In West 55th St|page=26|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1244085457}}}}</ref> 
*[[Alexis de Sakhnoffsky]], designer, lived on 54th Street<ref>{{cite news|date=June 18, 1939|title=Designer Leases Furnished Suite In West 54th St: Count Alexis tie Sahnofsky Takes Apartment Near 5th Ave. Other Renting|page=C6|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1243040228}}}}</ref>  
*[[Olga Samaroff]], pianist, lived on 55th Street<ref>{{cite news|date=May 18, 1948|title=Olga Samaroff Stokowski Dies Piano Recitalist and Teacher: Conductor's Former Wife Found in Home by Nurse; Aided Young Musicians|page=20|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1327454612}}}}</ref> 
* [[George David Weiss]], songwriter<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gardner|first=Ralph Jr. |date=December 6, 2010|title=Redesigning Lifestyles|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703814404576001432665558762|url-access=subscription|access-date=May 27, 2021|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810014940/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703814404576001432665558762|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Miller|first=Adrienne|date=2012-02-01|title=A New York Apartment by Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts|url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/steven-harris-lucien-rees-roberts-new-york-apartment-article|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-18|website=Architectural Digest|language=en-US|archive-date=September 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918052741/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/steven-harris-lucien-rees-roberts-new-york-apartment-article}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets]]

==References==

=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}

===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
{{commons category|Rockefeller Apartments}}
* {{cite web|date=June 19, 1984|title=Rockefeller Apartments|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1276.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1984}}}}
* {{cite magazine|date=Jan 1937|title=Rockefeller Apartments|url=https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1937-01.pdf|journal=Architectural Forum|volume=66|issue=1|pages=4–12|ref={{harvid|Architectural Forum|1937}}}}
* {{Cite New York 1930}}

{{Midtown North, Manhattan}}
{{portal bar|Architecture|New York City}}

[[Category:1936 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:International style architecture in New York City]]
[[Category:Midtown Manhattan]]
[[Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Residential buildings completed in 1936]]
[[Category:Residential buildings in Manhattan]]