A popular misconception about “Lunch Atop A Skyscraper” is that it was taken on top of the Empire State Building. The image was actually captured atop Rockefeller Center during its construction. At 850 feet above the city streets, Rockefeller Center — now one of the city’s most storied buildings — was a massive undertaking launched in the early 20th century. The project was considered remarkable not only because of its sheer size but the fact that it employed 250,000 workers in the midst of the Great Depression. But there was a catch: laborers had to work hundreds of feet above the ground and with little safety gear.
The photograph titled “Lunch Atop A Skyscraper” or “New York Construction Workers Lunching on a Crossbeam,” was taken 69 floors from the ground and was first printed in the New York Herald-Tribuneon Oct. 2, 1932. Backdropped by a spectacular view of Central Park, the photograph depicts New York City’s immigrant workers — who were mostly Irish and Italian but also Native American — as they break from their work building up the city in spite of the risks. The photo immediately struck a chord with the American public. It was a stunning visual of hope and amusement for families desperate to put food on the table as the nation tried to rebuild following the financial ruin of the Great Depression. It also illustrated how the greatest city in the nation, the cultural hub of America, was built on and literally by a melting pot of international citizens.