Famous Rainbow Room May Become a City Landmark

By James Mulcahy

The Rainbow Room has been shut for a few years now, but the storied restaurant still sits atop 30 Rockefeller Plaza, waiting for a new operator to take over. There is another possibility though - the space may be converted to office space or used for some other non-restaurant function, but they city's Landmarks Commission may step in and prevent that from happening. The NY Times has a look today at the ongoing battle over the space, which was the focus of numerous disputes between the landlored (Tishman Speyer) and the last operator to hold the lease (the Cipriani group).

Though the space remains vacant, a landmark designation would make it harder for Tishman to find a non-restaurant tenant so if it does go through, we might just see it open back up sooner rather than later. If you're interested in the current state of this historic eatery, read the full article here.