SIXTH AVENUE/ROCKEFELLER PLAZA

Nothing in America has the visual impact of Sixth Avenue (also known as the Avenue of the Americas) in the 40s and 50s, with its block after block of colossal buildings offering office space for rent.

Between 48^th and 51^st streets and Fifth and Sixth avenues is the legendary commercial real estate complex known as Rockefeller Center.

See Why the Rockefeller Center Area Offers Some of the Classiest Office Space New York Has to Offer

The first phase of Rockefeller Center was built in the 1930s by John D. Rockefeller Jr. The world had seen nothing like it before. Never before had skyscrapers been harmoniously grouped around beautiful landscaped plazas and promenades. It has been widely imitated, but never equaled. Rockefeller Center is a magnet for tourists, who come for the famous ice skating rink, to see the world's most famous holiday tree, and to see shows at Radio City Music Hall, which is part of the center.

But it is primarily an office building complex serving the commercial real estate needs of a wide variety of companies. Tenants include major media companies such as NBC (the "Today Show" studio, on the ground floor at the corner of Rockefeller Plaza and 49th Street, is a big tourist draw), Time & Life, book publishing giants Simon & Schuster and McGraw-Hill, and News Corporation. In recent years, Tishman Speyer has taken over management of Rockefeller Center and substantially upgraded its facilities.

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In the 1960s and 1970s, Rockefeller Center was extended to the west side of Sixth Avenue. Four of the city's largest office buildings were erected between 47^th and 51^st streets. 1251 Avenue of the Americas was originally the world headquarters of Exxon.

Once, the elevated railway ran above Sixth Avenue. When it was dismantled after being replaced by the IND subway running underneath the avenue, a building boom ensued. The low, modest retail structures in the shadow of the El were replaced by the NYC office space colossi we see today.

Major Sixth Avenue office rentals properties include the 50-story Americas Tower (1992) between 45^th and 46^th streets; the 50-story Burlington House (1969) between 54^th and 55^th streets; the 45-story Credit Lyonnais Building (1964) between 52^nd and 53^rd streets; and the 44-story 1166 Avenue of the Americas (1974) between 45^th and 46^th streets.

Walk to Your New York Office Rentals from the Subway without Even Having to Go Outside

Transportation could hardly be better. Sixth Avenue/Rockefeller Center is served by the Sixth Avenue subway--the F, V, B, and D trains. At Rockefeller Center, the subway station opens right into the vast underground concourse that connects all the center's buildings. It is perfect for rainy day commuting. The area is also easily accessible by the Eighth Avenue and Lexington Avenue subways.

The Midtown Manhattan area is loaded with amenities. One can dine inexpensively in the eateries in Rockefeller Center's underground concourse, or lavishly in some of the city's finest restaurants. Sixth Avenue/Rockefeller Center also boasts numerous hotels, including the New York Hilton. Culture is served by the world-famous Museum of Modern Art, as well as by the American Folk Art Museum, the Paley Center for Media, and other outstanding institutions. The Theater District is next door, and Rockefeller Center has Radio City Music Hall and the "Top of the Rock" observation deck atop the General Electric Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.