The lobby contains serpentine floors, white-marble and stainless-steel walls, and reddish-burgundy glass ceilings, in addition to artwork by Josef Albers, Fritz Glarner, and Francis Brennan.

[3] Prior to the development of 1271 Avenue of the Americas, much of the site had previously served as a New York Railways Company trolley barn,[6][7] which in turn was replaced by a parking lot.

[13] Rockefeller Center's managers originally wanted to build an NBC studio or a Ford vehicle showroom on the site.

[15][27] A provision under the 1916 Zoning Resolution had allowed structures to rise without setbacks above a given level if all subsequent stories covered no more than 25 percent of the land lot.

The accordion wall, which would have been framed by flat columns, was infeasible because it reduced floor area, required modifications to the drapes and air-conditioning, and was not aesthetically desirable to the architects.

[7][30] The limestone columns frame the glass curtain wall and also serve as an architectural allusion to the other buildings at Rockefeller Center.

[23] The plaza has pavers in a serpentine pattern, similar to those found on the sidewalks of Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach.

The original pavers, designed by Port Morris Tile & Marble Corporation, were removed in 2001 because they were too slippery; the same company reproduced the pattern in rougher terrazzo.

[44] Trees and shrubs were originally also planted on the 50th Street side, while three flagpoles were placed on the section of the plaza facing Sixth Avenue.

The new decorations included five pools with fountain jets on Sixth Avenue, in addition to planting beds and seating areas.

[3] The interior design was contracted to a variety of architects, including Alexander Girard, Gio Ponti, Charles Eames, William Tabler, and George Nelson & Company.

[64] The ceiling throughout the lobby is 16 ft (4.9 m) high[6][59] and was originally made of dark maroon glass tiles, finished in a matte covering.

[59][65] Manufactured by American-Saint Gobain Corporation, the glass tiles were suspended from washers at each corner and were designed to be removed for maintenance.

[66][69] Portals includes alternating bands of white and brown glass, which surround a set of bronze and nickel plates in a way that gives the impression of depth.

[73][74] Originally used by the Seaman's Bank for Savings, the branch had round steel columns as well as green marble counters with flecks of white.

Gilman's offices had ceilings measuring 13 feet (4.0 m) tall, with angular furniture, sculpted ducts and lighting elements, exposed structural beams, and a color-coding scheme to distinguish the different departments.

The Rockefeller Group's offices include a reception area with dark woods and a pantry designed in a mid-century modern style.

[88] Gio Ponti designed an auditorium at the setback above the eighth floor, along with an adjoining kitchen, dining room, reception area, and lounge.

[93] The New Yorker reported several years after the Tower Suite's opening that "a butler in a black tailcoat and a maid in a fluffy white apron" visited every table seven days a week.

[101] When business at the Hemisphere Club declined with the construction of taller buildings in the area, the space was renovated so it could function as a dining hall at night.

[104][105] As early as 1946, it had sought to develop the site of the Hotel Marguery at 270 Park Avenue for a 35-story headquarters designed by Harrison & Abramovitz, though the plans did not come to fruition.

[106][107] By 1953, Time Inc. was set to outgrow its existing space in 1 Rockefeller Plaza within a year, and it wanted to have its headquarters in a single building.

[60] Life magazine moved into the building that April, writing that its new headquarters was "a victory in the fight to improve down-at-the-heels Sixth Avenue".

[134] A U.S. Steakhouse restaurant designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects opened in the building in 1975 and was slightly renovated a few years later.

[1] Municipal Art Society executive director Frank E. Sanchis III prompted the Rockefeller Group to support the preservation of the lobby.

[147][148] The following year, Time Inc. moved out of its offices,[149] and the Rockefeller Group announced a $325 million renovation of the entire building, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.

[152] The time capsule included contemporary objects such as magazines, photography books, a pencil, and a microfilm about the Rockefeller Center complex.

[160] The other tenants included law firms Blank Rome[161] and Latham & Watkins,[162][163] as well as multi-family office Bessemer Trust on the top seven floors.

[93][173] The architect Robert A. M. Stern wrote in his 1995 book New York 1960 that the building "marked the first key step" in the avenue's reconstruction.

[175] AMC, the network on which Mad Men airs, unveiled a bench in front of the building in 2015; it contains a sculpture of lead character Don Draper's black silhouette, as shown in the show's opening credits.