Rockefellers to leave iconic office at Tishman Speyer’s 30 Rock

The family business has been located in the tower since 1933

From left: 30 Rockefeller Plaza and John D. Rockefeller
From left: 30 Rockefeller Plaza and John D. Rockefeller

The Rockefellers are officially leaving 30 Rock.

The family business is relocating to a 19,000-square-foot office at 1 Rockefeller Plaza next year, according to the New York Times, where roughly 44 staffers will be located. Rockefeller & Co., which manages the family’s investments, has moved to 10 Rockefeller Plaza.

One of America’s most famous — and most wealthy — families, the Rockefellers initially sold off 30 Rock as well as nine other buildings at Rockefeller Center in 2000. Tishman Speyer’s Jerry Speyer, together with the Lester Crown family from Chicago, bought the buildings then. Since then, the family kept renting out a 56th-floor aerie, according to the newspaper.

The 70-story tower was built in 1933 (John Rockefeller Jr. broke ground on the project in the midst of the Great Depression).

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It’s unclear how much rent the Rockefellers will pay at their new location. David Rockefeller Jr., grandson of John D. Rockefeller, told the newspaper that the family “got a deal we are not at liberty to speak about.”

“We decided to start again at 1 Rock,” he also told the newspaper. “This is the first time this generation has gotten to say what their needs are.”

Tishman Speyer chairman Jerry Speyer wouldn’t comment on the deal either, but told the newspaper, “I would be surprised if they weren’t worried about rent. I think sensible people respect money.” [NYT] — Claire Moses