Lincoln Center Explained

Lincoln Center
Pushpin Map:Manhattan#New York City#New York
Location:10 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY 10023
Type:Performing-arts center
Built:1955–1969
Opened:1962 (when the center's first venue, Philharmonic Hall, opened)
Publictransit:New York City Subway

at 66th Street–Lincoln Center
NYCT Bus:

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a 16.3abbr=offNaNabbr=off complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.[1] It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 million visitors annually. It houses internationally renowned performing arts organizations including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School.

History

Planning

A consortium of civic leaders and others, led by and under the initiative of philanthropistJohn D. Rockefeller III, built Lincoln Center as part of the "Lincoln Square Renewal Project" during Robert Moses's program of New York's urban renewal in the 1950s and 1960s.[2] Respected architects were contracted to design the major buildings on the site.

Rockefeller was appointed as the Lincoln Center's inaugural president in 1956, and once he resigned, became its chairman in 1961.[3] He is credited with raising more than half of the $184.5 million in private funds needed to build the complex, including drawing from his own funds; the Rockefeller Brothers Fund also contributed to the project.[2] Numerous architects were hired to build different parts of the center (see). The center's first three buildings, David Geffen Hall (formerly Avery Fisher Hall, originally named Philharmonic Hall), David H. Koch Theater (formerly the New York State Theater), and the Metropolitan Opera House were opened in 1962, 1964, and 1966, respectively.[3]

It is unclear whether the center was named as a tribute to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln or for its location in the Lincoln Square Neighborhood.[4] The name was bestowed on the area in 1906 by the New York City Board of Aldermen, but records give no reason for choosing that name.[5] There has long been speculation that the name came from a local landowner, because the square was previously named Lincoln Square. However, property records from the New York Municipal Archives from that time have no record of a Lincoln surname; they only list the names Johannes van Bruch, Thomas Hall, Stephen De Lancey, James De Lancey, James De Lancey Jr. and John Somerindyck.[6] One speculation is that references to President Lincoln were omitted from the records because the mayor in 1906 was George B. McClellan Jr., son of General George B. McClellan, who was general-in-chief of the Union Army early in the American Civil War and a bitter rival of Lincoln's.[7]

Historical timeline

Construction milestones

In 1955, the first city institution to commit to be part of the Lincoln Square Renewal Project, an effort to revitalize the city's west side with a new performing arts complex that would become the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, was the Fordham Law School of Fordham University.[22] In 1961, Fordham Law School was the first building to open as part of the renewal project, and in 1968, Fordham College at Lincoln Center welcomed its first students.

The development of the condominium at 3 Lincoln Center,[23] completed in 1991, designed by Lee Jablin of Harman Jablin Architects, made possible the expansion of The Juilliard School and the School of American Ballet.[23] [24] [25]

The center's cultural institutions also have since made use of facilities located away from the main campus. In 2004, the center expanded through the addition of Jazz at Lincoln Center's newly built facilities, the Frederick P. Rose Hall, at the new Time Warner Center, located a few blocks to the south. In March 2006, the center launched construction on a major redevelopment plan that modernized, renovated, and opened up its campus. Redevelopment was completed in 2012 with the completion of the President's Bridge over West 65th Street.[26]

Renovations

When first announced in 1999, Lincoln Center's campus-wide redevelopment was to cost $1.5 billion over 10 years and radically transform the campus.[27] The center management held an architectural competition, won by the British architect Norman Foster in 2005, but did not approve a full scale redesign until 2012, in part because of the need to raise $300 million in construction costs and the New York Philharmonic's fear that it might lose audiences and revenue while it was displaced.[28] [29] Among the architects that have been involved were Frank Gehry; Cooper, Robertson & Partners; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Beyer Blinder Belle; Fox & Fowle; Olin Partnership; and Diller & Scofidio.[30]

In March 2006, the center launched the 65th Street Project – part of a major redevelopment plan continuing through the fall of 2012 – to create a new pedestrian promenade designed to improve accessibility and the aesthetics of that area of the campus. Additionally, Alice Tully Hall was modernized and reopened to critical and popular acclaim in 2009 and Film at Lincoln Center expanded with the new Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center. Topped by a sloping lawn roof, the film center is part of a new pavilion that also houses a destination restaurant named Lincoln, as well as offices. Subsequent projects were added which addressed improvements to the main plazas and Columbus Avenue Grand Stairs. Under the direction of the Lincoln Center Development Project, Diller Scofidio + Renfro in association with FXFOWLE Architects and Beyer Blinder Belle Architects provided the design services. Additionally, Turner Construction Company and RCDolner, LLC[31] were the construction managers for the projects.[32] [33] Another component to redevelopment was the addition of the David Rubenstein Atrium designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, a visitors' center and a gateway to the center that offers free performances, day-of-discount tickets, food, and free Wi-Fi.

Architects

Architects who designed buildings at the center include:

Constituent structures

The center has 30 indoor and outdoor performance facilities including:

while a part of the center, it is located separately in the Frederick P. Rose Hall complex within the Deutsche Bank Center at Columbus Circle. It consists of the following performance and related facilities:

a 508-seat amphitheater with 50abbr=offNaNabbr=off glass wall overlooking Central Park; from 2011 to 2013, it was used as the studio for Anderson Live, a daytime-television talk show hosted by Anderson Cooper

a nightclub-style venue that allows jazz to be performed in its traditional venue

a 1,094-seat concert hall designed for jazz performances. Rose Theater is the largest performing space at Jazz at Lincoln Center. It consists of three floors. The first floor is orchestra, the second floor is Mezzanine, and the third floor is balcony.

Resident organizations

The center serves as home for eleven resident arts organizations:[49]


Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) is one of the eleven resident organizations, and serves as presenter of artistic programming, leader in arts and education and community relations, and manager of the center's campus. LCPA has some 5,000 programs, initiatives, and events annually, and its programs include American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, the Mostly Mozart Festival, Target Free Thursdays, the White Light Festival and the Emmy Award–winning Live from Lincoln Center.[50]

In July 2006, the LCPA announced it would join with publishing company John Wiley & Sons to publish at least 15 books on performing arts, and would draw on the Lincoln Center Institute's educational background and archives.[51]

Cultural Innovation Fund

Lincoln Center Cultural Innovation Fund is the first of its kind as a grant program that seeks to make the arts accessible to all people, focusing on those who live in some of New York City's poorest neighborhoods.[52] Partnering with the Rockefeller Foundation, the new pilot grant program offers one-time grants to non-profit organizations to provide cultural activities in these communities in the diverse neighborhoods of Central Brooklyn and the South Bronx.[53] Each of the 12 grantees will receive support and financial backing for their project based on organizational budget size. These are one-year long projects, and grant amounts range from $50,000–$100,000.[53] The over-all goal of the program is to support non-profit organizations in creating cultural innovative strategies that cultivate participation in the arts as well as increase the range and availability of cultural activities to underserved communities.[54]

Corporate sponsors

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lincoln Center. www.lincolncenter.org. September 27, 2019.
  2. http://www.rockarch.org/philanthropy/pdf/RockefellerPhilanthropy.pdf "Rockefeller Philanthropy: Lincoln Center"
  3. Web site: Archive 1960s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. www.aboutlincolncenter.org. September 27, 2019.
  4. Book: Roberts, Sam . A History of New York in 101 Objects . Simon and Schuster . 2016 . 978-1-4767-2877-3 . New York . 208 . en.
  5. [Christopher Gray (architectural historian)|Gray, Christopher]
  6. News: 50 Years In, Lincoln Center's Name Is Still a Mystery. Collins. Glenn. May 11, 2009. The New York Times. September 27, 2019.
  7. News: 50 Years In, Center's Name Is Still a Mystery. Collins. Glenn. May 11, 2009. The New York Times. November 15, 2010.
  8. Web site: Archive 1950s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. www.aboutlincolncenter.org. September 27, 2019.
  9. Web site: The Construction of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (1959–69) – Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Google Arts & Culture. en. 2020-02-16.
  10. Web site: Archive 1970s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. www.aboutlincolncenter.org. September 27, 2019.
  11. News: Farewell Ringling Bros., but the circus isn't dead. Davis. Janet M.. January 17, 2017. January 18, 2018. CNN.
  12. Web site: Archive 1980s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. www.aboutlincolncenter.org. September 27, 2019.
  13. Web site: Archive 1990s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. www.aboutlincolncenter.org. September 27, 2019.
  14. Web site: Archive Today Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. www.aboutlincolncenter.org. September 27, 2019.
  15. Sisario, Ben. (May 6, 2008) "Tully Hall to Reopen in 2009 With Eclectic Music Festival" The New York Times Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  16. News: The Greening of Lincoln Center. Ouroussoff. Nicolai. May 20, 2010. The New York Times. July 31, 2010. Nicolai Ouroussoff.
  17. News: Lincoln Center Turns to Broadway for Its Next Chief. Pogrebin. Robin. The New York Times. May 12, 2014.
  18. Web site: New York City Opera To File For Bankruptcy. January 18, 2018. Billboard.
  19. News: Smith . Jennifer . September 24, 2015 . Lincoln Center Concert Hall Renamed for David Geffen . . September 27, 2015.
  20. News: New York City Opera's resurrection may be right. Stearns. David Patrick. January 25, 2016. Philadelphia Inquirer. January 18, 2018.
  21. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Appoints Debora L. Spar as President and CEO. November 16, 2016. Lincoln Center. August 7, 2017.
  22. Web site: History. L. Ekins Dianna. www.fordham.edu. en. September 27, 2019.
  23. [Paul Goldberger|Goldberger, Paul]
  24. [Brendan Gill|Gill, Brendan]
  25. Bosco, Pearl (November 1989). "Three Lincoln Center". Institute for Urban Design. Project Monograph. Vol. 2, No. 4.
  26. Pogrebin, Robin. (October 1, 2012) "New Bridge at Lincoln Center to Open Monday". The New York Times Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  27. News: Robin . Pogrebin . May 8, 2003 . Lincoln Center Proceeds, Modestly . The New York Times.
  28. Pogrebin, Robin (November 28, 2012), "Avery Fisher Hall to Be Renovated". The New York Times.
  29. Polsky, Sarah. (November 29, 2012) "Avery Fisher Hall Will Finally Get Its Long-Delayed Makeover" Curbed NY
  30. Pogrebin, Robin. (June 19, 2003), "Costs and Approach Disputed in Lincoln Center Redevelopment". The New York Times.
  31. Web site: RCDolner Construction . Rcdolner.com . May 11, 2012 . May 31, 2017.
  32. News: On 65th Street, Glimpsing Lincoln Center's Future . Robin . Pogrebin . Robin Pogrebin . The New York Times . August 17, 2006 . July 31, 2010.
  33. http://www.lincolncenter.org/load_screen.asp?screen=transforming "Transforming Lincoln Center" on Lincoln Center website
  34. Web site: Transforming Lincoln Center: Architecture and Design . Lincoln Center . January 2, 2018.
  35. Web site: Lincoln Center: New Public Spaces and Amenities . Lincoln Center . January 2, 2018.
  36. Web site: Lincoln Center: President's Bridge at Lincoln Center . Lincoln Center . January 2, 2018.
  37. Web site: Lincoln Center: Josie Robertson Plaza / Columbus Avenue . Lincoln Center . January 2, 2018.
  38. Web site: Lincoln Center: Alice Tully Hall Fact Sheet . Lincoln Center . January 2, 2018.
  39. Web site: Lincoln Center Revson Fountain Fact Sheet . Lincoln Center . January 2, 2018.
  40. Web site: Lincoln Center: David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center Fact Sheet . Lincoln Center . January 2, 2018.
  41. Web site: Lincoln Center: West 65th Street Project Fact Sheet . Lincoln Center . January 2, 2018.
  42. Rappaport. Nina. Smith. Ken. 2005. Modern Landscape Architecture, a Forgotten Art: The Case of Lincoln Center. Future Anterior: Journal of Historic Preservation, History, Theory, and Criticism. 2. 1. 50–57. 25834961. 1549-9715.
  43. See for a list of productions in the venue.
  44. Web site: Now Playing . 2020-02-15 . Film at Lincoln Center . en.
  45. Web site: The Bruno Walter Auditorium. www.nypl.org. 2020-02-15.
  46. Pogrebin, Robin. (October 8, 2013) "$4 Million Grant to Help Rebrand Lincoln Center Institute" The New York Times Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  47. Web site: Lincoln Center. www.lincolncenter.org. 2020-02-15.
  48. http://lc.lincolncenter.org/visitor-guide/location "Map of Lincoln Center"
  49. Web site: What Is Lincoln Center, and What Is a Resident Organization?. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. August 7, 2017. January 5, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160105042256/http://www.lincolncenter.org/visit/. dead.
  50. http://aboutlincolncenter.org/programs/program-overview-2 "About Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. (LCPA)"
  51. Maul, Kimberly (July 27, 2006). "Wiley and Lincoln Center Dance Together". The Book Standard.
  52. News: Lincoln Center Cultural Innovation Fund Awards Innovation Fund Grants. Center. Foundation. Philanthropy News Digest (PND). November 8, 2017. en.
  53. Web site: Lincoln Center Cultural Innovation Fund. Lincoln Center Cultural Innovation Fund. September 27, 2019.
  54. Web site: Press Release Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. www.aboutlincolncenter.org. en-gb. November 8, 2017.
  55. Web site: Corporate Sponsors Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. www.aboutlincolncenter.org. 2020-02-16.