Radio City Music Hall opened in 1932 as a monumental theatre within Rockefeller Center. Its vast auditorium and elaborate Art Deco interiors were designed for spectacle, and the building’s evolving mix of film, stage and live events has kept it in public use.
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The scale of Radio City Music Hall was meant to make entertainment feel monumental. When it opened in 1932, the enormous auditorium proved too cavernous for the vaudeville-style program originally planned. Within a year, the venue shifted toward films paired with stage shows, a format that helped it find its audience.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- Radio City Music Hall opened on December 27, 1932.
- It shifted from vaudeville-style shows to films with stage shows within a year.
- The interiors are a New York City Interior Landmark.
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