Atlas at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York by John S

Atlas at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York by John S

Atlas is a bronze statue in front of Rockefeller Centerwithin the International Building’s courtyard in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, across Fifth Avenue from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The sculpture depicts the Ancient Greek Titan Atlas holding the heavens. Atlas was installed in 1937 and created by the sculptor Lee Lawrie with the help of Rene Paul Chambellan. The sculpture is in the Art Deco style, as is the entire Rockefeller Center. The Atlas statue in the sculpture is 15 feet (4.6 m) tall, while the entire statue is 45 feet (14 m) tall. It weighs 7 short tons (6,400 kg), and is the largest sculpture at Rockefeller Center. Atlas is depicted carrying the celestial vault on his shoulders. The North-South axis of the armillary sphere on his shoulders points towards the North Star’s position relative to New York City. The statue stands on one muscular leg atop a small stone pedestal, whose corner faces Fifth Avenue.

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