Top of the Rock, located on the 67th, 69th, and 70th floors of 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, is one of New York’s most iconic observation decks. As part of a recent revitalization effort, the owners aimed to introduce new, immersive visitor experiences that involved installing two amusement rides on the roof of the historic skyscraper. Construction had to be meticulously planned so that the observation deck could remain open to patrons throughout construction. In recognition of the project’s creative approach to adaptive reuse, it was honored with the 2025 AISC IDEAS² Award for Excellence in Adaptive Reuse of Steel Structures.
The redevelopment introduced two major attractions:
- The Beam: Inspired by the iconic “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper” photo, this amusement ride lets patrons recreate the historic photograph. The Beam Ride extends 12 feet above the roof while rotating 180°. The mechanics for the Beam Ride are housed in an equipment pit that is suspended from the 69th floor framing.
- The Skylift: A 30-foot-tall by 13 foot diameter telescoping and rotating glass-and-steel platform lifts visitors above the 70th-floor deck, offering unobstructed 360° views. When not in use, it retracts to be flush with the roof level. The equipment for the Skylift is supported on a new level of framing that is located approximately 3 feet lower than the former gift shop and is sandwiched vertically between the elevator staging area and the 70th floor roof and laterally between three elevator machine rooms.
GMS scope of work for the project included reinforcing the base-building structure for the loads imposed by The Beam Ride and the Skylift. In addition to reinforcing the building, we worked with the other team members to provide a turn-key space that would accept the ride equipment, including hyper-critical construction tolerances and coordinating connections along the interface of the ride equipment and the base-building structure. We also reviewed loads imposed by gantry cranes that were installed on the roof of the building that were required for the assembly of the rides.
The project presented multiple challenges due to the historic nature of the 1930s steel structure and nearly a century of prior renovations. Steel’s inherent adaptability proved essential, as the team discreetly reinforced the existing framing to accommodate new loading requirements while preserving the building’s original character.
Construction logistics were enormously complex. Keeping the observation deck open meant that most of the work was done between the hours of midnight and 8am. Limiting the disturbance to patrons meant that construction was limited to areas smaller than 1,000 sf. The freight elevator does not service the roof – meaning all construction materials (including the rides themselves) were delivered by the same passenger elevators that carried tourists up and down the building during the day. In-field surprises—such as undocumented web penetrations and unmovable utilities – were overcome with a combination of creative thinking, adaptable detailing and boundless teamwork.
The Beam Ride opened in December 2023 and the Skylift opened in September 2024. Both attractions exemplify how historic steel structures can be upgraded to support new and innovative ideas through proper planning and creative thinking.