COVETED MAGAZINE PAGE 167.
Opened in 1934, Bar SixtyFive at Rainbow Room was the first
restaurant to be located in a high-rise building and remained the
highest elevated establishment atop a skyscraper in the United
States for decades. Bar SixtyFive at Rainbow Roomwas con-
ceived to promote the Rockefeller Center.
It was designed by Associated Architects under the supervision
of architect Wallace K. Harrison and interior designer Elena Bach-
man Schmidt. Associate Architects loves creating architecture
that ‘wows’, but they believe it’s the level of detail that come
together to create the biggest impact. The double-height space
was done in a modern style, featuring a round revolving dance
floor. Above, a two-tier dome highlights a crystal chandelier,
sconces to match, dining tables on platforms at the perimeter,
and windows that take full advantage of the skyline panorama.
The name “Rainbow Room” came from the lights playing across
the dance floor and the dome, changing colours synchronised to
the music. They stayed close for five years, during the Great
Recession, a period during which the interior was officially land-
marked. After that an even more extensive renovation of the
Rainbow Room - this time by Gabellini Sheppard Associates -
headlines the reopening. Interior Designer Michael Gabellini and
Kimberly Sheppard crossed the Rainbow Room’s threshold to de-
sign the non-landmarked adjacent spaces. The new and updated
Rainbow Room is still evocative of 30’s elegance.
At the opposite end of the 65th floor, 2,900 square feet and a
terrace became Bar SixtyFive, a private lunch club that turns into
a cocktail bar in the evening. Bar SixtyFive at Rockefeller Center,
New York City’s highest terrace bar, features some of the best
cocktails in midtown, created by their own in-house mixologist.
The Bar oozes old school glamour, marble tables, low lighting
and plush cocktails which ensure a chic experience.
The floor-to-ceiling windows provide panoramic views on three
sides of the SixtyFive Lounge. Central Park and the George
Washington Bridge are visible to the north and the Empire State
and Freedom Tower to the south. The view from Bar SixtyFive
at Rainbow Room simply took anyone’s breath away.
The majority of people at Bar SixtyFive at Rainbow Room spent
most of their time sneaking glances at southern Manhattan and
competing over who had the best eyesight to find the Statue of
Liberty in the distance!
WORLD’S FINEST RESTAURANTS //
