In their great book, “New York 1960, Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial,” authors Robert A. M. Stern, Thomas Mellins and David Fishman wrote that “it was not until June 4, 1958, when Abe Feder’s extraordinary exterior lighting systems, using seventy-two reflector-type lamps, transformed it into a ‘Tower of Light,’ that the building became a landmark that received wide attention,” adding that “So bright was the night lighting that it was turned off between September 18 and November 1, 1959, to prevent disorienting migratory birds; the same restriction was also placed on the illuminated stationary beacon on the Empire State Building.” The authors also noted that “Stouffer’s, the Ohio-based, middle-priced restaurant chain, opened a glamorous, upmarket cocktail and dining aerie called the Top of the Sixes, the first such facility since the Rainbow Room had opened atop the RCA Building in 1934.”
Carter's Take on Zaha Hadid's 666 Fifth Avenue & Why the Modern Landmark Should Remain As Is
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