Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree

1931

New York City

I ran across this great old photo of the first Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center, back when the Plaza was still a construction zone.  John D. Rockefeller developed the site in mid-town Manhattan beginning in 1930,  and it was the largest private building project undertaken in modern times. 

Just how rich was Rockefeller during the Great Depression?  He took on the enormous project of razing existing buildings and constructing new skyscrapers as the sole financier, at an estimated cost of $250 million, the equivalent of about $350 billion today.

Fast forward to our bright and garish Digital Age, and here's the 2014 tree arriving on the Plaza.