The photo first appeared in the New York Herald Tribune on October 2, 1932. The photo shows 11 workers sitting on a construction beam on the 69th floor of Rockefeller Center, 260 meters above the ground. The photo evokes so many emotions because the workers immortalized in it don’t care much about how tall they are.
The most famous photo from September 1932 at the top of Rockefeller Center (Photo by Charles C. Ebbets)
This avatar became the inspiration for the creation of a new interactive attraction called “The Beam”. Its location, of course, is Rockefeller Center in New York.
Recently, tourists visiting Rockefeller Center can take advantage of the interesting attractions. Those interested can enter the observation deck called “Top of the Rock”, which is located on the 69th floor of the Rockefeller Center building and sit on an imitation of the most famous model in the world. The beam, equipped with chairs and safety belts, will lift daredevils 12 meters above the balcony and rotate 180 degrees, offering extraordinary views. This entertainment costs an additional $25 per person.
A campaign to promote a skyscraper
The historical photo taken in 1932 is not a spontaneous photo. This is a photo taken as part of a campaign to promote the skyscraper. According to historian Ken Johnston of Corbis Images, the photo was the result of an event organized by the Rockefeller Center on the occasion of the construction of a new building in this famous complex. The men in this photo are real workers who built the building at that time. They are experienced and accustomed to working at heights. It is also true that they are actually sitting without any protection on a beam suspended 260 meters above the ground.
In other, lesser-known images from this advertising shoot, workers are shown lying on the same bar.
szaryburek.plOne of many photographs taken by Charles C. Ebbets on September 20, 1932 at the top of Rockefeller Center (Photo by Charles C. Ebbets)
Who are the workers sitting on the bar?
szaryburek.plThe most famous photo from September 1932 at the top of Rockefeller Center (Photo by Charles C. Ebbets)
For many years, the names of the 11 employees shown in the photo taken that day were kept secret. The names of many of them were not discovered until the beginning of the twenty-first century. According to available information, it is known that the third worker from the left is Joseph Ekner, the fourth is Michael Breheny, the fifth is Albin Svensson, and the sixth is Peter Rice. The first worker from the right is Slovak Gosti (Gustav) Popović, who allegedly sent a photo to his wife with the note “Dear Marisinka, don’t worry about me. As you can see, I still have the bottle in my house” hand. I kiss you, Gustav. The third worker from the right is Joe Curtis, the fourth is Francis Michael Rafferty, and the fifth is Stretch Donahue.
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