The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is the most important and well-known cultural center in New York City. It is located on an area of approx. 61,000 m² in west Manhattan between Amsterdam Avenue and Columbus Avenue as well as 62nd Street and 66th Street. It borders Lincoln Square to the north. This site was once home to the San Juan Hill neighborhood.
Lincoln Center was planned in the late 1950s under the direction of
urban planner Robert Moses as part of efforts to revitalize what became
known as the Upper West Side. The master plan came from the architect
Wallace Harrison (1895-1981), who also designed the Metropolitan Opera
building. All buildings were designed in the modern style; US President
Dwight D. Eisenhower saw the project as having a future “mighty
influence for peace and understanding throughout the world” when the
cornerstone was laid on May 14, 1959.
In 2004, Lincoln Center was
expanded; Since 2006, further renovation and construction measures have
been initiated, such as a conversion of the Alice Tully Hall and the
construction of a new restaurant by the office of Diller Scofidio +
Renfro. The renovation was completed in 2009.
Sponsorship
Lincoln Center is operated by a not-for-profit private corporation
("Inc.") funded primarily by sponsorships. Irrespective of this, the
operating result in the 2015/16 season was positive.
Lincoln Center is home to 11 cultural organizations:
The Lincoln
Center for the Performing Arts itself.
The Chamber Music Society of
Lincoln Center, dedicated to the performance of chamber music and
awarding the biennial Stoeger Prize to composers.
The Film Society of
Lincoln Center, a film museum that hosts film festivals and screens
films, among other activities.
Jazz at Lincoln Center, whose artistic
director is American jazz musician Wynton Marsalis and whose venue is
the Rose Theater.
The Juilliard School, which has been based in a
building designed by Pietro Belluschi since 1969.
The Lincoln Center
Theater with its venue Vivian Beaumont Theater. The building, designed
by architect Eero Saarinen, holds 1,080 spectators and opened in 1965.
The Metropolitan Opera, which seats approximately 3,900 in a 1966
building.
The New York City Ballet, which is based at the David H.
Koch Theater (formerly the New York State Theater). Built in 1964 by
Philip Johnson, the building has 2,586 permanent seats. The New York
City Opera also played in this theater until 2011.
The New York
Philharmonic with its venue, David Geffen Hall, built in 1962 to a
design by Max Abramovitz. It has 2,738 seats. It received its current
name after donor David Geffen in 2015. From 1973 to 2015 the concert
hall was known as Avery Fisher Hall. Between 1962 and 1973 the venue was
called "Philharmonic Hall".
The New York Public Library for the
Performing Arts
The School of American Ballet, the ballet school of
the New York City Ballet
Alice Tully Hall
The organ of the
Alice Tully Hall was built in 1974 by the organ builder Theodor Kuhn
(Switzerland). After the redesign of the Alice Tully Hall, the
instrument, which had been removed and stored in the meantime, was
rebuilt and revoiced by the builder. The disposition was expanded by two
electronic pedal registers. The slider chest instrument has 64 registers
on four manual works and pedal. The key actions are mechanical, the
register actions are electric.
The organ in Alice Tully Hall was built in 1974 by the organ builder Theodor Kuhn (Switzerland). After the Alice Tully Hall was remodeled, the instrument, which had been removed and stored in the meantime, was rebuilt and re-voiced by the builder's company. The disposition was expanded to include two electronic pedal registers. The slider chest instrument has 64 registers on four manuals and a pedal. The key actions are mechanical, the stop actions are electric.
The Lincoln Center Cultural Innovation Fund is the first grant program of its kind to focus on people living in New York City's poorest neighborhoods and to make the arts accessible to all. This new pilot grant program, in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, will provide one-time grants to nonprofit organizations in diverse neighborhoods in Central Brooklyn and the South Bronx that offer cultural activities in these communities. 12 grantees, each with a budget size appropriate for the organization Project support and funding will be provided. These are one-year projects with grant amounts ranging from $50,000 to $100,000. The overall goal of the program is to help nonprofit organizations create culturally innovative strategies that promote participation in the arts and expand the scope and availability of cultural activities in underserved communities.