4. See the White Wire Angels at Channel Gardens
Every year since 1955, white angels have flanked the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center for the holiday season. The repeated use of these artworks over a long period of time makes them a unique feature of the complex. The sculptures were originally created by artist Valerie Clarebout in 1955.
According to Rockefeller Center’s website, Clarebout used 76 miles of material, including 18 miles of aluminum wire and brass, to craft each 8-foot angel in her New Fairfield, Connecticut studio. Weighing 50 pounds each, every angel has wire mesh wings and a halo and holds a 6-foot-long trumpet. For the rest of the year, when the sculptures aren’t on display, they’re stored in a climate-controlled warehouse. While she was alive, Clarebout returned to Rockefeller Center to help maintain the sculptures.
