<P> At the front of 30 Rock is the Lower Plaza, located in the very center of the complex and below ground level . The center plaza was part of the plans for the canceled Metropolitan Opera House . Although the opera house was canceled in 1929, the plaza was retained in subsequent plans . Originally, the plaza would have been located at ground level with a promenade called Channel Gardens, which led westward from Fifth Avenue to the plaza . In the March 1931 revision to the complex's blueprint, the center plaza was enhanced and sunken . The sunken plaza was originally supposed to be oval - shaped, but the plaza was later changed to a rectangular shape . The sunken rectangular plaza, planted with shrubs, provided a sense of privacy and enclosure when it was original built . </P> <P> The plaza's main entrance is through the Channel Gardens, a 60 - foot - wide (18 m), 200 - foot - long (61 m) planted pedestrian esplanade running westward from Fifth Avenue between the British Empire Building and La Maison Francaise . The steeply sloping promenade was originally furnished with six narrow pools in the center of the space, each surrounded by hedges . The pools are topped with fountain heads designed by Rene Chambellan, each representing a different attribute: leadership, will, thought, imagination, energy, and alertness . Chambellan also designed the fountains' drain covers with various bronze depictions of sea creatures such as turtles and crabs . During the winter, the Channel Gardens' fountains were shut off and decorated with Valerie Clarebout's sculptures of angels . The twelve sculptures, each measuring 8 feet (2.4 m) tall, have been placed in the gardens every winter since 1954 . At the western end of the promenade is a plaque commemorating the original Elgin Gardens, as well as a bronze monumental plaque to John D. Rockefeller Jr (see below). From there, a flight of the steps descends toward the rink, then splits into two different stairs heading both north and south . </P> <P> The western end of the plaza contains Paul Manship's 1933 masterwork, Prometheus (see also § Prometheus). The statue stands in a 60 - by - 16 - foot (18.3 by 4.9 m) fountain basin in front of a grey rectangular wall . The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is placed above the statue from November to January every year; it is usually put in place and lit the week after Thanksgiving, and taken down the week after New Year's Day . The first tree was erected in 1934, and as successive trees received more lavish decorations, the tradition gradually became known worldwide . </P> <P> Much of the plaza's outdoor section is occupied by an ice rink . Installed in 1936, it replaced unprofitable retail space that had been constructed as part of the original center . Originally intended as a "temporary" measure, the rink became an immediate tourist attraction upon opening, becoming one of the world's most famous skating rinks in later years . In 1939, a permanent 120 - by - 60 - foot (37 by 18 m) rink was installed, which necessitated the replacement of the center staircase from Channel Gardens . Its popularity inspired the construction of a skating rink in the former Center Theatre, and for a short time, there were also proposals to convert the lower plaza's ice rink to a roller skating rink during the springtime . </P>

When does the rockafella tree get taken down