The Rainbow Room, the historic New York City landmark and restaurant and event space atop 30 Rockefeller Plaza, will reopen to the public in the fall of 2014.
The team from Tishman Speyer which operates Rockefeller Center will oversee the Rainbow Room and work with talent from the restaurant and hospitality industries to run the day-to-day operations.
The Rainbow Room originally opened during the Great Depression in 1934. From its site on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, it offered stunning views, elegant décor and a glamorous setting for special occasions.
“The Rainbow Room space has occupied the collective imagination and memories of generations of Americans and New Yorkers,” said Keith Douglas, managing director, Rockefeller Center.
“We are pleased to reopen it, and we are committed to operating a Rainbow Room that will offer top levels of dining service and catering for today’s visitors while preserving the elegance for which it is so well known.”
Restaurant development firm Blau + Associates has been engaged to oversee the re-opening process, from the culinary programming to the operations strategy, for the space.
The Rainbow Room itself will be operated as a combination of catered event space as well as a restaurant that is open to the public.
In addition, a previously unused outdoor terrace on the 65th floor will be combined with a connecting interior space and transformed into a bar and lounge that will be open to public each day five or more days each week, serving cocktails and light fare. The Rainbow Room itself will be available for private events and group dining five days a week and will offer an array of catering menu options.
Gabellini Sheppard Architects, the architects who reimagined Rockefeller Center’s observation deck, Top of the Rock, will design the Rainbow Room’s public spaces.
The Rainbow Room interior, including its legendary dance floor overlooking the Manhattan skyline, was recently landmarked by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
