Eleven ironworkers from throughout the city of New York took part in a risky publicity stunt on September 20, 1932. High above 41st Street in the metropolis.
The men working on the RCA skyscraper (now the GE building) in Rockefeller Center were used to strolling along the girders. But, they were nice to a photographer who was trying to generate buzz about the project’s impending conclusion on this particular day.
Professionals feigned to slumber while others played football. Most notably, all eleven of them famously had lunch while suspended 850 feet above the city streets on a steel beam.
On the 69th floor of the RCA Building in Manhattan, New York City. Eleven ironworkers perched in a perilous arrangement on a steel beam. That go down in history as one of the most daring and astounding publicity stunts of all time.
Chicago Local Iron Workers recently replicated the iconic image.
The legendary black-and-white photograph “Lunch atop a Building” was taken on September 20, 1932.
The image displays the courageous workers having their lunch without apparent concern about their precarious perch. With nothing but blue skies and soaring steel for company.
So why attempt such a dangerous mission, you may ask? It turns out that the ironworkers’ “Lunch atop a Skyscraper” was part of a marketing effort for the identical structure they were admiring from above.
Despite the fact that Rockefeller Center wasn’t yet finished. This shot made a powerful statement about the building’s innovative strength.
It didn’t take long for the photograph, which was first published in October 1932, to become a global phenomenon.
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Lunch Atop A Skyscraper
On September 20, 1932, a black-and-white photograph was taken from the 69th floor of the RCA Building in Manhattan, New York City, shows eleven ironworkers eating lunch while perched on a steel beam 850 feet (260 metres) above the ground.
It was staged as an attention-grabbing publicity gambit for the building. In October of 1932, while Rockefeller Center was being built, the photograph was originally released. The Visual China Group bought it in 2016.
The real photographer’s identity has been lost to time, however the image is commonly attributed to Lewis Hine. There was some evidence suggesting Charles C. Ebbets took it. But it was later discovered that other photographers were present throughout the shoot.
Some men in the photo have been positively identified, despite widespread speculation about their identities. The photograph has been described as “a piece of American history” by Ken Johnston, manager of Corbis’ historic collections.
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Recreation Of Lunch Atop A Skyscraper
The eleven members of Chicago’s number one local ironworkers union posed for lunch hundreds of feet above the Loop in an effort to recreate a famous image from the popular culture of the 20th century.
The whisky flask has been replaced by a soft drink. And the two gentlemen on the far left are now exchanging an image on a smartphone. Rather than puffing on a cigarette, all in an effort to bring the photo into the present.
Recently, the shot and its predecessor, “Lunch atop a Skyscraper,” resurfaced on Reddit’s “Old School Awesome” sub and swiftly rose to the top. While the black and white original dates back to the 1932 erection of Manhattan’s 850-foot 30 Rockefeller Plaza (now officially known as the Comcast Building), the re-staging was taken from atop Chicago’s new CNA Center.
The John Ronan Architects-designed office building at 151 N. Franklin Street in the Loop will debut next summer. It is obvious that the picture was shot before the building was completely encased in glass. Photos of the future 3Eleven apartment tower in River North can be dated by the presence of the now-demolished yellow crane.
Similar repercussions may have been levied against a group of British steelworkers in 2011. For recreating the same sight far above London. The Chicago photo, on the other hand, is prominently displayed on the official website of the Chicago #1 local ironworkers. Thus it looks to have official sanction.
Conclusion
A magnificent masterpiece of human creativity and fortitude, this historical relic was purchased in 2016 by the Visual China Group. And so permanently etched into the annals of time.
According to popular belief, Charles C. Ebbets took the photo. But, no one knows who took the photo, as reported by the New York Times.
Since Ebbets was named Photographic Director for the construction of Rockefeller Center (of which Rockefeller Plaza is a component) in 1932, he is a likely candidate to have taken the picture.
To add insult to injury, the Ebbets family insists they have proof from official documents that their ancestors actually took the photo. To wit, Ebbets’s official letterhead invoice for his time at 30 Rock.
Yet, “Unknown” is listed as the photograph’s credit in the Rockefeller archives.
