Top of the Rock Grand Opening
For the first time in 20 years the observation deck atop midtown
Manhattan’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza has reopened to the public. To
celebrate The Top of the Rock’s breathtaking new vantage point, a gala
party was staged on October 24 with dramatic lighting by John Ingram
and Gregory Cohen of Unlimited Visibility Lighting Design (UVLD)
setting the scene on multiple floors. Scharff Weisberg Lighting
providing the extensive equipment inventory as well as the control
system.
Redesigned by architect Michael Gabellini, the new Top of the Rock blends the streamlined Art Deco elegance of the original observation deck that opened more than 70 years ago with modern materials and engineering. Panels of fully-transparent, non-reflective safety glass allow completely unobstructed, open-air views of the entire city from the 69th floor.
UVLD spanned four floors to create the lighting for the reopening party attended by VIPs and travel and booking agents. On the 66th floor, which is not open to the public, 16 Syncrolite 7000-watt fixtures were positioned on the exterior catwalk. The powerful searchlights, swept the night sky for a festive, Golden Age of Hollywood atmosphere.
The Deco-styled entry area on the 67th floor is lit with 60 Color Kinetics ColorBlast 12 RGB-mixing LED uplights, which bathed the white walls and low white benches and added to the evening’s party mood. The entry connects to the 69th floor observation deck where more ColorBlast uplights illuminated the building’s exterior walls. A total of 200 ColorBlasts were deployed for the installation.
On the 70th floor’s terraced setback UVLD hung 24 VARI*LITE VL2500 automated lights from a series of vertical trusses. They provided illuminated animation to the floors below and projected patterns, including a custom Top of the Rock gobo, onto the building’s Doppler radar dome.
All of the lighting instruments, including the Syncrolites, were controlled by a trio of High End Wholehog II consoles supplied by Scharff Weisberg.
“The Top of the Rock space was still largely under construction when we started the installation,” notes UVLD’s Gregory Cohen who is partner, along with lighting designer John Ingram, in Unlimted Visability Lighting Design. “The client did an incredible job of getting everything done in time; Tishman Speyer provided us with unfettered access to the venue.”
"Programming the Syncrolites required a bit more precision than a traditional installation,” noted Ingram. "As the lights swept across the entire skyline, we took care to ensure that the residents of Manhattan would not be adversely affected."
“As always, it was a pleasure working with the team at UVLD and Tishman Speyer," commented Scharff Weisberg Lighting General Manager, Ben Saltzman. “It was exciting to be part of the re-opening of this historic New York City landmark, and it is always challenging to meet the demands of such a high-technology production."
"Scharff Weisberg provided an excellent level of service throughout this complex and ever-changing project," Cohen reports. "Rockefeller Center is a great place to work; there’s a wonderful, collaborative vibe there which extends from the house electricians to the stagehands."
Sal Restuccia served as production electrician for the event, and was assisted by John Ellar and Danny Kirsch. Glenn Mahoney of Tishman Speyer produced the opening-night event and continues to oversee the day to day operation of the observation deck.
Redesigned by architect Michael Gabellini, the new Top of the Rock blends the streamlined Art Deco elegance of the original observation deck that opened more than 70 years ago with modern materials and engineering. Panels of fully-transparent, non-reflective safety glass allow completely unobstructed, open-air views of the entire city from the 69th floor.
UVLD spanned four floors to create the lighting for the reopening party attended by VIPs and travel and booking agents. On the 66th floor, which is not open to the public, 16 Syncrolite 7000-watt fixtures were positioned on the exterior catwalk. The powerful searchlights, swept the night sky for a festive, Golden Age of Hollywood atmosphere.
The Deco-styled entry area on the 67th floor is lit with 60 Color Kinetics ColorBlast 12 RGB-mixing LED uplights, which bathed the white walls and low white benches and added to the evening’s party mood. The entry connects to the 69th floor observation deck where more ColorBlast uplights illuminated the building’s exterior walls. A total of 200 ColorBlasts were deployed for the installation.
On the 70th floor’s terraced setback UVLD hung 24 VARI*LITE VL2500 automated lights from a series of vertical trusses. They provided illuminated animation to the floors below and projected patterns, including a custom Top of the Rock gobo, onto the building’s Doppler radar dome.
All of the lighting instruments, including the Syncrolites, were controlled by a trio of High End Wholehog II consoles supplied by Scharff Weisberg.
“The Top of the Rock space was still largely under construction when we started the installation,” notes UVLD’s Gregory Cohen who is partner, along with lighting designer John Ingram, in Unlimted Visability Lighting Design. “The client did an incredible job of getting everything done in time; Tishman Speyer provided us with unfettered access to the venue.”
"Programming the Syncrolites required a bit more precision than a traditional installation,” noted Ingram. "As the lights swept across the entire skyline, we took care to ensure that the residents of Manhattan would not be adversely affected."
“As always, it was a pleasure working with the team at UVLD and Tishman Speyer," commented Scharff Weisberg Lighting General Manager, Ben Saltzman. “It was exciting to be part of the re-opening of this historic New York City landmark, and it is always challenging to meet the demands of such a high-technology production."
"Scharff Weisberg provided an excellent level of service throughout this complex and ever-changing project," Cohen reports. "Rockefeller Center is a great place to work; there’s a wonderful, collaborative vibe there which extends from the house electricians to the stagehands."
Sal Restuccia served as production electrician for the event, and was assisted by John Ellar and Danny Kirsch. Glenn Mahoney of Tishman Speyer produced the opening-night event and continues to oversee the day to day operation of the observation deck.