Construction of Rockefeller Center 19 buildings. Construction of Rockefeller Center The construction of the Rockefeller Center complex in New York City was conceived as an urban renewal project in the late 1920s, spearheaded by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to help revitalize Midtown Manhattan. Rockefeller Center is located on one of Columbia University's former campuses and is bounded by Fifth Avenue to the east, Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) to the west, 48th Street to the south, and 51st Street to the north. The center occupies in total, with some of office space. Columbia University had acquired the site in the early 19th century
Martha Baird Rockefeller Martha Baird Rockefeller Martha Baird Rockefeller was an American pianist, philanthropist and longtime advocate for the arts. Born in Madera County, California in the community of Madera on March 15, 1895, Martha Baird Rockefeller was the second oldest child of merchant William F. Baird (1861—1916) and Almina Abby (Smith) Baird (1862—1903), a piano and organ instructor in the University of Southern California's College of Music. Her mother, who was known to family and friends as "Mina," was her first piano instructor; her first classroom experiences were undertaken at the Westside School on what is, today, the grounds of Madera High