One of a series of 16mm silent films made by architect Walter Harrington Kilham, Jr., this historic film shows the construction of Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. Kilham also authored a book, “Rockefeller Center: a pictorial record from photographs” published in 1933. Kilham worked directly underneath architect Raymond Hood, the chief designer of Rockefeller Center, and his films document history in the making.
This film contains with incredible images of bricklayers at work and the work of pipefitters and iron workers in the heights above the city, emplacing steel and riveting beams into place. The film also shows how granite and limestone selected, moved, shaped and emplaced for the construction project.
At 3:30, “topping out” of building 10 is seen. At 7:00, the interior of the Radio City Music Hall Theater is seen, with the curtain in place. At 8:00, artist Ezra Winter is seen painting the mural in the Grand Foyer. At 9:52, the bronze foundry is seen casting architectural elements for the building.
Title cards appear in the film, but unfortunately we don’t have a script or key to explain their meaning. Clearly, Kilham intended to present a lecture about the project using the film.
Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 high-rise commercial buildings covering 22 acres (89,000 m2) between 48th and 51st Streets in New York City. Commissioned by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
It was the largest private building project ever undertaken in modern times. Construction of the 14 buildings in the Art Deco style (without the original opera house proposal) began on May 17, 1930, and the buildings were completed and opened in 1939. Principal builder and “managing agent” for the massive project was John R. Todd. Principal architect was Raymond Hood, working with and leading three architectural firms on a team that included a young Wallace Harrison, later to become the family’s principal architect and adviser to Nelson Rockefeller. The construction of the project employed over 40,000 people
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
