General Electric Building
General Electric Building
4.5
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Art Deco style abounds inside and out at the GE building.
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Neighbourhood: Midtown
This is the iconic New York that so many visitors imagine before they visit—spectacular skyscrapers like the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building, iconic public buildings like Grand Central Terminal and the New York Public Library, and the non-stop hustle and bustle of the city streets. Fifth Avenue is a shopper's heaven where you can find every kind of store imaginable, with fashion brands ranging from the affordable to the ultra-fancy. Visit the Rockefeller Center to experience towering Art Deco grandeur, and foodies will love the busy restaurants that stay open late in Koreatown. After dark, Midtown calms down a bit, but at any time of day or night it still feels 100% New York.
How to get there
- 5th Ave / 53rd St • 4 min walk
- 47–50 Sts – Rockefeller Center • 5 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
81 reviews
Excellent
36
Very good
36
Average
9
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Lolly’s Look
New York City, NY15,004 contributions
Dec 2019
Thirty Rock is a a part of the midtown landscape. The building is in the center of Rockefeller center and houses shopping, restaurants and the NBC studios. The top of the building is the Top Of the Rock with incredible sights.
Written 12 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rumples
Tucson, AZ11,721 contributions
Oct 2018 • Solo
Comcast acquired this skyscraper in 2015, but most people still refer to it as the General Electric Building or simply 30 Rock. The 66-floor structure forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center and is the home for NBC Studios. Whatever one calls this 1933 Art Deco gem, it always is on my itinerary when I visit New York City. As an architecture buff, I never tire of the details, inside and outside, and I enjoy browsing in shops on the Concourse level.
Prominent exterior features include a simple limestone facade with a stunning crown, and attractive carved renderings at the East entrance of Wisdom, Sound and Light. The crown displays a lighting bolts motif and is illuminated at night. Because of the building's 850-foot height, however, I can only study this crown with binoculars.
The lobby features massive murals. "American Progress" by Josep Maria Sert shows allegorical scenes of men constructing modern America. But I find the lobby to be fairly dark and not conducive to looking at art. More airy are the Top of the Rock Observation Deck and the 65th floor's Rainbow Room.
I do not recommend trying to get a photo of this skyscraper up close unless capturing details. It fills 22 acres, occupying an entire block between Sixth Avenue and Rockefeller Plaza. A nice photo op exists of its East side, however, at the start of the Channel Gardens at Fifth Avenue.
Prominent exterior features include a simple limestone facade with a stunning crown, and attractive carved renderings at the East entrance of Wisdom, Sound and Light. The crown displays a lighting bolts motif and is illuminated at night. Because of the building's 850-foot height, however, I can only study this crown with binoculars.
The lobby features massive murals. "American Progress" by Josep Maria Sert shows allegorical scenes of men constructing modern America. But I find the lobby to be fairly dark and not conducive to looking at art. More airy are the Top of the Rock Observation Deck and the 65th floor's Rainbow Room.
I do not recommend trying to get a photo of this skyscraper up close unless capturing details. It fills 22 acres, occupying an entire block between Sixth Avenue and Rockefeller Plaza. A nice photo op exists of its East side, however, at the start of the Channel Gardens at Fifth Avenue.
Written 15 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
downtown_jerome
New York City, NY31 contributions
Jan 2012 • Solo
Loved the Chrysler Building? Why don't you keep walking 9 blocks north to 51st & Lexington to see this other art deco gem? The highly decorated facade is gorgeous, especially at the street level, and the lobby is beautiful (the front part of the lobby is accessible to the public during business hours and they let me take a picture when I visited). You can get a great view of the top of the building from the plaza on Park Avenue between 51st and 52nd, overlooking St. Bartholomews Church.
Written 24 February 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brad
Hong Kong, China1,76,328 contributions
Jan 2015 • Couples
The General Electric (GE) Building on Lexington Avenue was built in 1931 and is one of the many Art Deco era skyscrapers that define the city landscape. What we love about the GE building is the elaborate crown, which elaborately tops the building tower.
The crown decor is intriguing and very interesting to see. Here you will find an elegant blend of gothic and art deco architectural style in a design representing electric waves. In our mind, it just screams 'Gotham' and the NYC that we think about from old films.
Note that you'll need to look up to the very top of the building which is 50 stories so its easy to miss the crown if you don't know what you are looking for. Viewing from directly in front of the General Electric building is no good as well as you are too close and won't have a decent viewing position.
To properly see the crown, start having a look from a couple hundred meters away as you approach the building. If you have a camera with a long lens this can be very helpful and allow some great pictures, if sky conditions are favourable. Pictures of the top of the General Electric Building with a blue sky background are really neat to see.
The crown decor is intriguing and very interesting to see. Here you will find an elegant blend of gothic and art deco architectural style in a design representing electric waves. In our mind, it just screams 'Gotham' and the NYC that we think about from old films.
Note that you'll need to look up to the very top of the building which is 50 stories so its easy to miss the crown if you don't know what you are looking for. Viewing from directly in front of the General Electric building is no good as well as you are too close and won't have a decent viewing position.
To properly see the crown, start having a look from a couple hundred meters away as you approach the building. If you have a camera with a long lens this can be very helpful and allow some great pictures, if sky conditions are favourable. Pictures of the top of the General Electric Building with a blue sky background are really neat to see.
Written 17 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hellish
Cheltenham, UK51 contributions
Dec 2011 • Family
As part of the boom in building during the depression years in NYC, art deco architecture abounds and few are more beautiful than the old General Electric Building on Lexington. The building is still in commercial use but the doorman is very happy for the odd nosey tourist to fall through the door to gawp at the vaulted metallic cielings, panelled elevators, extraordinary marble work and original lighting fixtures. It is a gem of its time and if you are planning on looking at the Chrysler Building, do take this one in too.
Written 3 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bwco
New Jersey1,746 contributions
Sept 2017 • Couples
We went to the Top of the Rock and when we were done, we took a walk around the inside of the building. Its a mistake just to look at the outside of the building and not walk inside. The building is a beautiful, well maintained example of Art Deco architecture and should not be missed on your New York City tour.
Written 19 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MrSaturn64
Philadelphia, PA348 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
The GE Building is the center of the Rockefeller Center, and the views of the building from 5th Avenue are superb. The artwork inside and out, inspired by Greek Mythology, are also impressive, including the famous statue of Prometheus. Of course, this is the home of the Top of the Rock, the observation deck. The night views are perfect.
Written 8 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bwco
New Jersey1,746 contributions
Jan 2013 • Couples
We have been to Rockefeller Center, where the GE building is located, many times, and never really looked at the GE building. On our most recent trip into the city we spent some time looking at the building and realize how beautiful it was and what a great example of art deco architecture the building is. I think people are so preoccupied with what other attractions are in the area, that this building gets overlooked. If you are in the area take some time to explore the building.
Written 6 January 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nangel9
Albuquerque, NM29 contributions
Mar 2012 • Business
Only saw it from the outside but as a fan of Art Deco architecture I was enchanted.
Written 27 March 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KGB777
Singapore, Singapore41,306 contributions
May 2015 • Solo
So it's a little confusing, but it appears that there are in fact 2 GE Buildings in NYC. One of them is indeed on 6th Av between 49th and 50th and really seems to be part of the Rockefeller Centre and in my opinion is the less interesting of the 2. The more interesting structure is at 570 Lex @ 51st street. The latter has much more of an art deco feel and certainly more interesting architecture.
Written 23 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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