History

Rockefeller Group Development Corporation:
80 Years of Distinction

For 80 years, The Rockefeller Group has initiated some of the most memorable endeavors in American commercial real estate. Its proud tradition of real estate excellence began with the development of the world’s finest urban business and entertainment complex, Rockefeller Center.

After building the original 6-million-square-foot Art Deco complex throughout the 1930s and into the ’40s, The Rockefeller Group developed several towers in the immediate vicinity in the ’50s and ’60s.

Rockefeller Center’s Size Doubles in Early ’70s

By the early 1970s, the company had added four towers to Rockefeller Center on the west side of Avenue of the Americas, more than doubling the size of the original center.

Rockefeller Group Development Corporation was formed as a subsidiary in 1976 as The Rockefeller Group applied its distinctive brand of quality to the development of signature office buildings across the country.

Signature Office Buildings Developed Across the Country

The signature office buildings RGDC developed across the country, beginning in the late 1970s, include the following:

Park Plaza, Newark, New Jersey
A 1 million-square-foot headquarters for Public Service Electric & Gas. The total cost of development was $63 million. This project was sold in 1983 to a partnership organized by Lehman Brothers.

Continental Center, New York, New York
The 1 million-square-foot multi-tenant office building, which serves as the headquarters of the Continental Insurance Company, was developed by The Rockefeller Group in a joint venture with Continental. The Rockefeller Group’s interest was sold to Continental in 1982. The total cost of development was $115 million.

Irving Trust Operations Center, New York, New York
The Rockefeller Group served as development manager for the 1 million-square-foot operations center for Irving Trust Company. The total cost of development was $250 million.

Renaissance Center Phase II, Detroit, Michigan:
Twin office towers on top of a podium structure consisting of 570,000 square feet of office space, and 45,000 square feet of retail and garage space. This project was developed in a joint venture with Ford Motor Land Development Corporation and was sold in 1985 to American Natural Resources. The total cost of development was $82 million.

444 South Flower Street, Los Angeles, California
This 1 million-square-foot multi-tenant office building served as the Southern California headquarters of the Wells Fargo Bank, and was sold in 1983 to a joint venture of Lehndorff and Grosvener. The total cost of development was $130 million.

Anroc Plaza, Phoenix, Arizona
The first phase, 200,000 square feet, of an 850,000-square-foot master planned office park was developed by The Rockefeller Group in a joint venture with Anchor National Life Insurance Company and served as headquarters for Anchor. The Rockefeller Group sold its interest to Anchor in 1983. The total cost of development was $50 million.

Building With and For Corporate America Although Rockefeller Center still looks as it did some 80 years ago, Rockefeller Group Development Corporation has changed with the times. Today the company is aligned with sister subsidiaries Rockefeller Group Investment Management, Rockefeller Group Technology Solutions, and Rockefeller Group Business Centers to bring a broad range of expertise to bear on real estate projects. "We’re very much in the business of building with and for corporate America," says president and CEO Kevin R. Hackett. "While we’re able to offer more sophisticated services than we did in the past, we strengthen those capabilities with our core values of honesty in business, respect for tradition, and integrity of service in dealings with our customers."

Rockefeller Group Development Corporation Today

Today, RGDC is a national real estate owner, developer, and manager. The company embodies the same traditions of innovation, integrity, and pride of workmanship that made Rockefeller Center the world’s urban mixed-use standard.

RGDC currently has properties in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, and Utah, with millions of square feet of space in various stages of development and approximately ten million square feet of premier office towers in New York City under management.

Rockefeller Group Development Corporation is owned by Rockefeller Group International, Inc., itself a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Estate Co. Ltd., one of the largest real estate companies in the world.

Rockefeller Group Development Corporation: 80 Years of Distinction

Rockefeller Center’s Size Doubles in Early ’70s

Signature Office Buildings Developed Across the Country

Building With and For Corporate America

Rockefeller Group Development Corporation Today

Rockefeller Group Development Corporation:
80 Years of Distinction