Conrad Hotel
Chicago, Illinois
Ventana was contracted to design, furnish, and install the lobby glass at the newly renovated 75 Rockefeller Plaza. The 33-story building is situated in Midtown Manhattan in New York and houses Class A office space. The exterior façade was granted landmark status in 1985 and this played an important role in the restoration of the building.
Ventana provided high-span curtain wall incorporating jumbo, low-iron, insulated glass units, antique bronze cladding, metal panels, and canopies for this legendary building. However, the most unique feature of the scope was the curved 25 foot wide by 20 foot tall bronze plaque located at the 51st Street entrance, which is the largest piece of architectural bronze in the United States. Since the building has landmark status, a piece of the previously installed bronze plaque had to be sent to a metallurgist in order to determine the alloy used so that the new plaque could utilize the very same alloy. It was found that the alloy was no longer in commercial use. Ventana engaged an international specialist for metal facades whom were able to custom make the one-piece plaque in Germany.