Visitors who pass through the main entrance of Rockefeller Center's GE Building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City also pass under the watchful eye of an old man with long beard and accompanying inscription, “Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.” The relief sculpture is the work of American Laurie Lee (1877-1963) and represents a spectacular example of the Art Deco style in the manner of the Center's iconic architecture.

In 1928, the site's then-owner, Columbia University, leased the land to John D. Rockefeller Jr., who spearheaded the complex's construction. Original plans called the site to be home to the Metropolitan Opera. But the crash of 1929, reversed that course. Construction of Rockefeller Center started in 1931, and the first buildings opened in 1933. The core of the complex was completed by 1939.

Photo by Tom Baker