1438-1441, 2620 UNITED STATES (New York) - Rockefeller Center

1438 Rockefeller Centre - GE Building

Posted on 07.02.2015, 19.06.2016
Built by the wealthy and powerful american family with the same name, Rockefeller Center is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was named after John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who leased the space from Columbia University in 1928 and developed it between 1930 and 1938. It was the largest private building project undertaken in modern times, which employed over 40,000 people during the Great Depression's worst years, the principal architect being Raymond Hood.

1439 Rockefeller Center - Christmas Tree 2013 & Angel Trumpeters

 

When it was officially opened in May 1933, it held true to the developing team's belief that art was an act of good citizenship. By 1939, more than 125,000 people were visiting Rockefeller Center daily. The Center is a combination of two building complexes: the older and original 14 Art Deco office buildings, and a set of four International-style towers built during the 1960s and 1970s (plus the Lehman Brothers Building). In 1985, Columbia University sold the land beneath the center to the Rockefeller Group, but by the mid-nineties, times got tougher and a new real estate slump moved Rockefeller Center into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

1440 Rockefeller Center - Prometheus

 

Luckily, less than two years later, a new group acquired the complex, leaving the 1995 bump in the road history. Goldman Sachs, Tishman Speyer and David Rockefeller acquired controlling ownership of Rockefeller Center, making way for a future of exciting enhancements. The centerpiece of Rockefeller Center is the 70-floor, 266m GE Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, formerly known as the RCA Building, and renamed in 1988 after General Electric. The frieze located above the main entrance was produced by Lee Lawrie and depicts "Wisdom", along with a slogan that reads "Wisdom and Knowledge shall be the stability of thy times", from Isaiah 33:6.

1441 Rockefeller Center - Top of the Rock (1)

The famous Rainbow Room club restaurant is located on the 65th floor; the Rockefeller family office occupies the 54th through 56th floors. The skyscraper is also the headquarters of NBC and houses most of the network's New York studios. Unlike most other Art Deco towers built during the 1930s, the GE Building was constructed as a slab with a flat roof and since 1933 has been home of the Center's observation deck, the Top of the Rock, which allows visitors a unique 360-degree panoramic view of New York City. At the front of 30 Rock is the Lower Plaza, where since 1931 is placed the famed annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, and since 1936 the ice skating rink.

2620 Rockefeller Center - Top of the Rock (2)

 

The white angel trumpeters were the latest addition to herald the holidays, in 1954. But the most known landmark of the sunken plaza is the bronze gilded statue of the Greek legend of the Titan Prometheus recumbent, bringing fire to mankind, the artwork from 1934 of the acclaimed sculptor Paul Manship. The inscription, a paraphrase from Aeschylus, on the granite wall behind, reads: "Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends." The about 200 flagpoles which line the plaza at street level display flags of United Nations member countries, the U.S. states and territories, or decorative and seasonal motifs. During U.S. holidays, every pole carries the Flag of the U.S.

About the stamps
On the postcards 1438 and 1439
The stamp is a Global Forever First-Class Mail International stamp, about which I wrote here.

On the postcard 1440
The first stamp is part of the series Go Green, about which I wrote here.

The second stamp, depicting the Purple Heart Medal, was issued on September 4, 2012, to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military. The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to members of the U.S. military who have been wounded or killed in action. According to the Military Order of the Purple Heart, an organization for combat-wounded veterans, the medal is "the oldest military decoration in the world in present use and the first award made available to a common soldier."

The last stamp is part of the series Four Flags, about which I wrote here.

On the postcard 1441
The first stamp is part of Wedding series, about which I wrote here. The second is part of the series Harry Potter, about which I wrote here.

On the postcard 2620
The first stamp is part of Wedding series, about which I wrote here. The others are part of the series Harry Potter, about which I wrote here.

References
Rockefeller Center - Wikipedia
Rockefeller Center - Rockefeller Center website
GE Building - Wikipedia

Sender 1438, 1439, 1440, 1441, 2620: Denise 
1438: Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 04.01.2014
1439: Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 27.12.2014 
1440: Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 29.01.2014  
1441, 2620: Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 10.01.2014