No no no, not the Christmas tree, ice skating rink, or the observation deck.
According to this vintage matchbook cover, visitors should check out the tobacco shop as well as the Gateway Restaurant Oyster bar and Cafe.
Both are in the RCA Building—not the GE Building, as it’s called today. The matches look like they date to the 1940s.
A New York Times article from 1934, not long after RCA Building first opened in 1933, reports that the restaurant would have “a forty-foot oyster bar” occupying two shops on the ground floor and the basement.
Matchbook covers were once fantastic venues for advertising. Check out these holiday-themed beauties from 1930s New York restaurants.
Tags: RCA Building, Rockefeller Center 1930s, Rockefeller Center attractions, Rockefeller Center Gateway Restaurant Oyster Bar, Rockefeller Center shopping, vintage matchbook covers
Ephemeral New York 
December 7, 2013 at 1:31 pm |
Do people collect matchbook covers any more. It was a popular hobby even for non-smokers back in the day.
December 7, 2013 at 7:53 pm |
I’ve seen them around at paper and ephemera shows.