The Roxy Theater, later renamed the RKO Central to distinguish it from the original Roxy on 7th Avenue, was the only one of the original Rockefeller Center buildings to be demolished. Its elegant Art Deco design, by Edward Durrell Stone, was understated compared to the extravagance of Radio City Music Hall, which became a competitor. It switched to showing live theater, then ice shows, and finally was converted into a TV studio. It was demolished in 1954.
Photo: Browning Collection via the NY Historical Society
