NBC Revisits Obama/Fallon Elevator Surprise at 30 Rock

No doubt inspired by Michelle Obama’s impassioned speech at the Democratic National Convention on August 20 in Chicago, NBC was among outlets to recall a smile-inducing prank the former first lady and Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon played on unsuspecting elevator passengers back in December 2018. Believing they were simply going on a tour of the 70-story 30 Rockefeller Plaza (30 Rock), which opened in 1933, elevator riders suddenly stop on a random floor where the doors open to reveal the pair reading books, playing piano, doing magic tricks and even Obama jumping rope. The delight and surprise on their faces is clear, and Obama and Fallon take joy in the passengers’ reactions.

As for the elevator system itself, it has been maintained and modernized by Schindler ever since the OEM acquired original vertical-transportation (VT) provider Westinghouse in 1989. Top of the Rock, the observation deck at 30 Rock, was originally part of the tower. The attraction closed in 1986, then reopened in 2005 after a US$75-million renovation — a renovation that included VT. Schindler observed:

“The famous Rainbow Room restaurant and elevator machine rooms on the 65th floor blocked elevator access to the 69th and 70th floors. To solve this challenge, Schindler engineers developed a modernization plan that upgraded eight passenger and four service elevators. Several were transformed into ‘sky shuttles’ to take both tourists and the general public to the 67th floor.”

The OEM goes on to describe the innovative methods used to bring the new equipment — including escalators — to the upper floors. Check it out here!