The International Building, also known by its addresses 630 Fifth Avenue and 45 Rockefeller Plaza, is a skyscraper at Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1935, the 41-story, building was designed in the Art Deco style by Raymond Hood, Rockefeller Center's lead architect. The main tower is set back from Fifth Avenue and includes two 6-story wings to the east, known as Palazzo d'Italia and International Building North. The wings flank an entrance plaza that contains Lee Lawrie's Atlas statue.
The facade is made of limestone, with granite at the base. The wings, patterned around the British Empire Building and La Maison Francaise to the south, contain rooftop gardens. The building's entrances contain ornate decorations by numerous artists. The main entrance on Fifth Avenue leads to a four-story-tall lobby with large marble pillars and escalators. The office space is arranged around the elevator core, with all offices being within of a window. The entire Rockefeller Center complex is a New York City designated landmark and a National Historic Landmark, and the lobby is also a New York City landmark.
The International Building was developed as part of the construction of Rockefeller Center, although plans for the building were modified multiple times. A groundbreaking ceremony was hosted in July 1933, after Italian interests leased the southern wing, but Rockefeller Center's managers could not secure a commitment for a specific country in the northern wing. The building's superstructure was constructed in 136 days from September 1934 to May 1935. The Palazzo d'Italia was modified in the 1940s after the start of World War II, and further modifications were made in the late 20th century. Over the years, the International Building has contained a variety of tenants, including numerous foreign consulates.
Site The International Building is part of the Rockefeller Center complex in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The building carries the addresses 630 Fifth Avenue to its east and 45 Rockefeller Plaza to its west. The rectangular land lot is shared with the buildings at 1260 Avenue of the Americas and 50 Rockefeller Plaza to the west. The lot is bounded by Sixth Avenue to the west, 51st Street to the north, Fifth Avenue to the east, and 50th Street to the south. It covers and has a frontage of on the streets and a frontage of on the avenues. The International Building and 1260 Avenue of the Americas are separated by Rockefeller Plaza, a private pedestrian street running through the complex. The building is assigned its own ZIP Code, 10111; it was one of 41 buildings in Manhattan that had their own ZIP Codes .
The International Building is at the northeast corner of the Rockefeller Center complex. The building faces La Maison Francaise and the British Empire Building to the south; the two structures are architectural twins of the International Building's low-rise wings. Also within Rockefeller Center are 30 Rockefeller Plaza to the southwest and 1260 Avenue of the Americas, Radio City Music Hall, and 50 Rockefeller Plaza to the west. In addition, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, the Women's National Republican Club, and 650 Fifth Avenue are immediately to the north. The Cartier Building, 647 Fifth Avenue, and the Olympic Tower are diagonally across Fifth Avenue and 51st Street to the northwest. The building also faces St. Patrick's Cathedral to the east and the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store (including 623 Fifth Avenue) to the southeast. The site was previously part of the campus of Columbia University, which retained ownership of most of the land well after the complex was built.
Architecture The International Building was designed by the Associated Architects of Rockefeller Center, composed of the firms of Corbett, Harrison & MacMurray; Hood, Godley & Fouilhoux; and Reinhard & Hofmeister. Raymond Hood was the complex's lead architect. The Associated Architects designed all of Rockefeller Center's buildings in the Art Deco style. Developed as part of the construction of Rockefeller Center, the International Building opened in 1935. The building is 41 stories high, including mechanical floors. One of two skyscrapers that opened in Manhattan in 1935, it was noted for its short 136-day duration of construction, as well as the construction quality, overall design, and materials used.
Hartley Burr Alexander, a mythology and symbology professor who oversaw Rockefeller Center's art program, led the installation of artwork throughout the complex. Rockefeller Center's international complex was decorated to an international theme, with motifs representing the arts, peace, and commerce.
Form
The main portion of the International Building is its 41-story tower. The main tower was recessed as far back from Fifth Avenue as possible to maximize rental space while still complying with the 1916 Zoning Resolution, which mandated that buildings contain setbacks above a certain height. Aside from the four-story entrance on Fifth Avenue, the tower has no setbacks along its eastern elevation. The tower contains three setbacks on its north and south elevations, which are not visible from either Rockefeller Plaza or Fifth Avenue. The western ends of the north and south elevations contain nine-story-tall masses, which are visible from Rockefeller Plaza. The northwest corner contains a diagonal chamfer, while the southwest corner is slightly set back, creating a small plaza. The setbacks on the 50th and 51st Street elevations correspond to the tops of the elevator banks inside.
Wings The tower is flanked by two six-story wings: Palazzo d'Italia and International Building North. At the sixth story, both wings contain setbacks to their north and south. The Palazzo d'Italia (literally the Italian Palace) is at 626 Fifth Avenue. The limestone-clad wing is attached to the main tower at its northwest corner. International Building North, at 636 Fifth Avenue, is identical to the Palazzo d'Italia and is attached to the main tower at its southwest corner. The northeast and southeast corners of the main tower are set back above the seventh story, running above both wings.
Both wings contain Mediterranean-themed rooftop gardens designed by A. M. van den Hoek, each measuring . The gardens were initially grass lawns but subsequently replaced with ivy beds surrounded by curving hedges. The gardens are also decorated with terracotta planters, two stone plaques transported from the Roman Forum, and walkways with cobblestones from Italian roads. Two statues by Paul Manship, depicting a young man and woman, stood above the Palazzo d'Italia from 1935 to 1984. The statues were sculpted in 1934 and originally complemented Manship's Prometheus sculpture to the south.
The wings surround a central entrance plaza to the east. The plaza is paved in gray and pink stone, arranged in geometric shapes. Lee Lawrie's , bronze Atlas statue is at the center of the Fifth Avenue entrance plaza, placed on a pedestal. It depicts the ancient Greek Titan Atlas holding a armillary sphere. The statue incorporates motifs such as zodiac signs and an axis aligned with the North Star. The pedestal is placed diagonally, with its eastern corner facing Fifth Avenue, and it is surrounded by granite benches.
Facade The entire facade is made of limestone; the vertical piers and the reveals of the windows are very plain in design. When the building was developed, the Associated Architects gave the recessed main tower a one-story-tall entryway on Fifth Avenue, emphasizing the wings on either side. The wings' entrances on Fifth Avenue complement the main tower. The side entrances on 50th and 51st Streets contain limestone reliefs created by Lawrie. The exterior contains of limestone and 2,900 windows. In addition, the building uses 4.65 million bricks, weighing .
Fifth Avenue The building contains a central plaza on its east, facing the Fifth Avenue entrance. Behind the Atlas statue, the main slab contains a limestone loggia with four piers, between which are three doorways to the four-story-high lobby. Each opening contains a revolving door with a granite frame. Plate-glass windows rise above the doors, reflecting both the Atlas statue and St. Patrick's Cathedral across the street. Both wings originally included artworks by Attilio Piccirilli above their entrances, as well as decorations by Leo Lentelli. The south elevation of International Building North, as well as the north elevation of the Palazzo, also face the plaza. These elevations contain storefronts and display windows.
Palazzo d'Italia
The ground floor of the Palazzo includes storefronts and display windows, above which runs a cornice. The center of the Palazzo contains a main entrance with bronze doors. Above the doors and within the entrance, Piccirilli designed a glass panel, which depicted a man holding a spade with Italian inscriptions above and below. Corning Inc. manufactured the panel, which was built in 45 pieces. The works were covered in 1941 because they overtly celebrated fascism. In 1965, the original Piccirilli work above the entrance was replaced by Giacomo Manzù's bronze relief Italia, which depicts fruits below the word "Italia". The same year, Manzù created The Immigrant, a bas-relief depicting a penurious mother and child with their belongings, upon a background of sgraffito foliage. The Immigrant replaced the center door of the entryway, but it was reoriented in 2001 when the center door was re-added.
The entrance cartouche above the doorways originally depicted the Crown of Savoy and a Fascist symbol. The second through sixth floors have steel sash windows, with limestone spandrels between the windows on each story. The windows are separated by flat vertical piers with ribbon moldings at their capitals. Three flagpoles hang from the piers. Lentelli's limestone bas-reliefs above the sixth-story windows signify four periods of Italian history: Roman Empire, the Italian Renaissance, the unification of Italy, and Fascist Italy from left to right. The Roman Empire panel depicts a military uniform, crown, wreath, and the initials SPQR, while the Renaissance panel contains a shield, a lion's head, and the Roman numerals "MCCCC" (the year 1400). The unification panel depicts two flags and the words "Morteo/Liberata" (death/liberty). The Fascist panel depicts an eagle above fasces; the inscription "AXII" (representing the Fascists' March on Rome in 1922) was removed in 1949.
International Building North
The ground floor of International Building North also includes storefronts and display windows topped by a cornice. The center of International Building North contains a main entrance with three bronze doors. Because it was not originally built for a specific country, International Building North contains generic works related to international cooperation. Piccirilli designed an opaque "Poetic Glass" screen within the entryway above the doors, symbolizing a youth's involvement in world affairs. The glass panel, manufactured by Corning Inc. in 45 pieces, measures and is made of semi-opaque "poetic glass". Each glass piece was made with a unique mold, which was destroyed after the glass piece had been cast. The panel depicts a youth behind two rearing horses and a chariot driver, pointing to the left.