Lincoln Center's $1.4 Billion Makeover
The renovation of the New York State Theater — in the future to be called the David H. Koch Theater, after the oil-and-gas billionaire who has agreed to donate $100 million to the project — is just the latest addition to what is now an estimated $1.4 billion worth of construction projects either planned or under way at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
The parent organization and landlord, Lincoln Center Inc., is paying for the transformation of all the public spaces on the 16-acre campus, as well as providing matching funds (20% of the first $25 million raised, and 15% after that) for projects financed by the individual constituents. Currently, Lincoln Center Inc.'s budget for redevelopment is $878 million, of which it has raised around $600 million so far.
The so-called 65th Street Project includes expansions of Alice Tully Hall (where the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center performs), the Juilliard School, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and the School of American Ballet. It also includes streetscape elements such as new lighting and signage (including LEDs and plasma screens) and a transformation of the North Plaza, which will include a restaurant roofed with a sloping lawn, a new grove of trees, and a restored reflecting pool.
The Promenade Project includes a renovation of Josie Robertson Plaza and of the entrance to Lincoln Center from Columbus Avenue. The service road will be dropped below ground so that, instead of dodging cars, visitors will enter Lincoln Center by ascending a new, 171-foot-wide staircase.
Here is a list of individual projects and their timing and budgets, where available:
New York State Theater
Who: New York City Opera and New York City Ballet
What: Renovation to create enlarged orchestra pit with mechanical lift; replace seating and carpeting; install new lighting equipment and audiovisual and media equipment, upgrade lobby, dressing rooms, and other public spaces.
When: The first phase, including the enlargement of the orchestra pit, will be completed by fall 2009.
How much it will cost: $200 million
Amount raised so far: $100 million
Lead donor: David H. Koch
School of American Ballet
What: Four new studios
When: Already completed
How much it cost: $7.2 million
Amount raised so far: A spokeswoman for SAB declined to say, but said that the project was funded through bonds.
Film Society of Lincoln Center
What: Two new screening rooms and a new café and media room
When: Early 2011
How much it will cost: $45 million (including an $8 million endowment campaign)
Amount raised so far: $30 million
Lead donor: Elinor Bunin-Munroe
Alice Tully Hall
What: Complete renovation, with a new 5,000-square-foot lobby, a glass curtain wall facing West 65th Street, custom-designed seats and custom-molded wood-veneer walls, an automated screen for film events, and a mechanized stage extension for more intimate performances.
When: Will reopen February 22, 2009
How much it will cost: $159 million
Amount raised so far: Not available
Juilliard School
What: Expansion including a new orchestra rehearsal room, a black-box theater, a music technology center, new practice rooms and classrooms, expanded archives, a faculty lounge, and a dance studio suspended above the street.
When: Fall 2009
How much it will cost: Not available
Amount raised so far: Not available
Harmony Atrium
What: A renovation of this indoor public space, which links Broadway and Columbus Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Street. The renovation, designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, will include a performance stage, a café, information about Lincoln Center events, and a discount ticket facility.
When: Fall 2009
How much it will cost: Not yet announced
