By Christopher Doman ’15

On Friday, April 24th, the Real Estate Association (REA) and members of the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate met with executives and property managers from Tishman Speyer and toured the firm’s Rockefeller Center complex. The tour was led by Chris Roth ’14, a graduate of the Columbia Business School Executive MBA Program, who is responsible for asset management of Rockefeller Center. The group began with a visit to Tishman Speyer’s corporate headquarters at 45 Rockefeller Plaza. Property managers discussed how the exterior and lobbies of many Rockefeller Center properties are landmarked by the city, which makes it challenging and costly to update the spaces with modern amenities. However, Tishman Speyer is undertaking various initiatives to update the exteriors and interiors with modern amenities while still preserving the original character of the properties.

From there, the group visited the underground loading docks that service all Rockefeller Center properties and the recently-installed ice-chilling plant which cools and regulates temperatures on tenant floors. Mr. Roth then showed the group the Rockefeller Center security center, which is one of the most highly-coordinated security centers in the world, with its own fire department and NYPD officers on staff. Property managers then escorted the group to the Top of the Rock at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where everyone took in 360-degree views of New York City from 70-stories above ground. The tour concluded with a visit to the recently-renovated and reopened Rainbow Room and cocktails at SixtyFive, a new high-end restaurant and bar on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Overall, the tour was a great opportunity for the REA to experience a behind-the-scenes look at first-class operations in one of the world’s most-recognized properties.

View the Photo Slideshow.
(Site Tour Photographer: Christopher Doman ’15) 

Christopher Doman ’15 is the VP of Site Tours for the Real Estate Association at Columbia Business School. He is a second-year student focusing on real estate development and investing, and will be joining Tishman Speyer at its NYC headquarters post-graduation.