Location: 570 Lexington Avenue at 51st Street,
New, York, New York
Architect: Cross & Cross
Date Completed: 1931
Combining soaring verticality and decorative Gothic intricacy, the RCA Victor Building
reflected the tone of nearby St. Bartholomew's Church.
The wide base is a sophisticated piece of the street-level landscape, while the tower is
truly one of the jewels in Manhattan's crown. The lobby is equally spectacular, with its
terrazzo floors, purple marble and silver barrel-vaulted ceiling.
The entire composition was designed to reflect RCA's business -- radio -- an intangible
entity. This soaring tower and lobby with its severe vertical lines symbolizing broadcast
signals makes the intangible tangible. As the Woolworth Building was a "catherdral of
commerce", the RCA Building became a cathedral dedicated the new power of radio.
After RCA left the building for its new quarters in Rockefeller Center, the building was
renamed for its new tenant, General Electric. The name remains, although General Electric
also vacated the building in a move further uptown.
RCA Victor Building
