New York City 'Beam Experience' invites visitors to recreate iconic 'Lunch Atop a Skyscraper' photo

A new attraction at Rockefeller Center’s Top of the Rock observation deck lets visitors sit atop a beam and recreate the famous 1932 photograph “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper.” The iconic photo was taken as a publicity shot during construction of Rockefeller Center’s RCA Building, now known as 30 Rock.

[sethwittrup]

They probably paid more to sit up there and take a photo then most of those men were paid the entire time building it.

[Jamietheroadrunner]

Those construction workers in that old photo had balls of steel, pun intended 💪🏼

[richardoconnor]

I went to do a home improvement job once and saw that photo framed and displayed on a wall. I told the homeowner ( an 80 year old man) how much I've always liked it. He walked up to it and said "see that guy there?- that's me". He then went and got a scrapbook and showed me many similar photos of him "at work".

[coldsoldier]

Shout out to the men who made that. They didn't think it was bravery, just work 💪

[mikeb]

From tough men risking their lives for pennies to overpaid tourists in heels.

[SupraBagels]

Those men who built had balls of steel

[susanazinger]

I love that old photo of the construction workers ...loved it for years ! They just sittin ' up there like they were sittin ' in their
kitchen ! 😂❤

[bigsean]

No one will ever be as cool as those men

[Cities-By-Maps]

Such a iconic photo of these incredible men who built the most amazing buildings in NY with such high risk with no health and safety true bravery at such a hight. Much respect to those men.

[BD-]

“Lets make a weirdly shaped bench that rotates on top of a building and have people pay to sit in it”

[Qwerty-wvmk]

Bless those legends who braved this view when building N.Y. 😮

[karmababy]

I bought that same photo for my husband who is an iron worker. That is a special breed of men who can do that type of work, and these days they are few. He survived a 3 story fall one day that knocked him unconscious and split his helmet.

[paulettestennis]

I just passed out and fell looking at the oringinal picture. I can 't do that high of heights. Those men look so calm and nonchalant. Brave men. What they were willing to do for feeding their families.;😮

[kallista]

"Iroquois ironworkers, especially the Mohawks, are legendary for their dizzying work in erecting skyscrapers and steel bridges. Mohawk men have walked and worked on nearly all of New York City's towering buildings, including the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and Rockefeller Center." --Walking the Steel: Generations of Ironworkers

They are called Skywalkers.

I'm just going to leave this here, too. I responded with this to another person's comment, and realized this information should be posted on the main thread, also.

Mad respect to these amazing people!

[jayhari]

Those men back then, were mother'fu**in' wild boys!!!! Man oh man. Salute 🫡 👏🏽

[enzojayden]

Lunch atop a Skyscraper is a black-and-white photograph taken on September 20, 1932, of eleven ironworkers sitting on a steel beam 850 feet (260 meters) above the ground on the sixty-ninth floor of the RCA Building in Manhattan, New York City. It was arranged as a publicity stunt, part of a campaign promoting the skyscraper. The photograph was first published in October 1932 during the construction of Rockefeller Center.

[uzzuzz]

Imagine if it glitches and starts spinning really fast.

[helenawarsinnak]

That is pretty awesome to go to while you're in New York!! think.... those men that did the original photo had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING protecting them from falling!!!
SUCH BRAVE MEN who worked so EXTREMELY hard to provide for their families!!!!💜

[manishsirwal]

No one can recreate the hard-work & passion that group of men had for building that. They really build that for the view ❤

[mikewilds]

I’m begging the movie industry, please put this in the next Final Destination movie😂