"When Rockefeller Center opened its doors in 1935, it took the art world by storm, and put its architect Raymond Hood on the map. It was here, Rem Koolhaas later attested in Delirious New York, where Hood was first able to put his ideas about urbanism into practice: “[Rockefeller] Center must combine the maximum of congestion with the maximum of light and space,” Hood said.
The International Building at Rockefeller Center, otherwise known as 45 Rockefeller, was landmarked by New York City in 1985, and declared a National Landmark in 1989. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has described the Art Deco ensemble as “one of the most dramatic spaces of its kind in New York City.” Now, the east lobby and exterior plaza at 45 Rockefeller, where Lee Lawrie’s famous Atlas sits, has been renovated by Gabellini Sheppard Associates, a New York firm that has worked on various projects across the historic complex."