The Radio City Music Hall opened in what year?

The Radio City Music Hall opened in 1932.

It opened to the public on December 27, 1932, as part of Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan. The theater was created during a period when developers were experimenting with combining large-scale entertainment, broadcasting, cinema, and commercial architecture in one urban complex.

Architect Edward Durell Stone and designer Donald Deskey gave the interior a highly coordinated Art Deco character, using dramatic curves, rich materials, geometric ornament, and carefully planned lighting. With approximately 5,960 seats, it was among the largest indoor theaters of its era and quickly became known as “The Showplace of the Nation.”

The opening program was an ambitious live spectacle, but its very long running time and crowded variety format drew criticism. The theater soon adopted the more commercially successful combination of feature films and stage performances. Its name comes from “Radio City,” the Rockefeller Center media district associated with the Radio Corporation of America, while the Rockettes became its most famous resident performers.