New renderings have been revealed for the planned campus upgrades to Lincoln Center on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Designed by Weiss/Manfredi and led by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Lincoln Center West Initiative, the project will transform Damrosch Park on the Amsterdam Avenue side of the complex with a new outdoor theater and public recreation space. Moody Nolan is the architect of record and Hood Design Studio is the landscape architect for the development, which is located at the southwest corner of the Lincoln Center plan by the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 62nd Street.
The above rendering looks east from Amsterdam Avenue at the remodeled park and its new outdoor theater, public gardens, and landscaped pathways. A new staircase and cantilevered seating area is depicted on the lefthand side of the image covered with an expansive pergola. This area is currently occupied by the exit drive from Lincoln Center’s public parking garage.
The project will demolish the Guggenheim Bandshell and the concrete wall separating the plaza from Amsterdam Avenue, shown in the below photograph. Eliminating these structures will open up the space to pedestrian access from the west, as seen in the following rendering.
Current view from Amsterdam Avenue looking at wall and Bandshell with line of people for Summer for the City programming. Photo by WEISS/MANFREDI.
View from Amsterdam Avenue looking into Damrosch Park; visible is new streetscape. Rendering by Brooklyn Digital Foundry.
The following images show the current plaza and Guggenheim Bandshell followed by the revamped space with its modern theater.
Current view of plaza in front of Bandshell, looking west towards NYCHA Amsterdam Houses. Photo by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Aerial view of amphitheater and audience area during performance, looking east. Rendering by Brooklyn Digital Foundry.
View of amphitheater and audience area during performance looking southeast towards 62nd Street. Rendering by Brooklyn Digital Foundry.
View of plaza area in front of amphitheater, looking northeast towards Josie Robertson Plaza. Rendering by Brooklyn Digital Foundry.
The next set of images provides a comparison of the planned upgrades, showing the bandshell replaced by a lawn and trees. A new water feature and seating area will be located in the middle of the park.
Current view in Damrosch Park looking west at Bandshell and NYCHA Amsterdam Houses behind. Photo by NADAAA.
View from within Damrosch Park looking west; visible are new water feature, lawn, and trees. Rendering by Brooklyn Digital Foundry.
View from within Damrosch Park looking NW; visible are water feature and grove of trees. Rendering by Brooklyn Digital Foundry.
View of grove within Damrosch Park with shade and seating, looking east. Rendering by Brooklyn Digital Foundry.
The following two images preview the new park as seen from Lincoln Center’s Josie Robertson Plaza.
Current view from Josie Robertson Plaza looking towards Damrosch Park. Photo by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
View from Josie Robertson Plaza looking towards Damrosch Park; visible are amphitheater and landscape. Rendering by Brooklyn Digital Foundry.
The project will also include upgrades to the northwest corner of Lincoln Center at the intersection of Amsterdam Avenue and West 65th Street. The staircase is shown revamped with new seating spaces, and the abutting wall will be covered in pleated mirrored paneling, creating an eye-catching reflection of the streetscape.
Current view from Amsterdam Avenue and 65th Street looking at New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and entrance to Lincoln Center at street level. Photo by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
View of SE corner Amsterdam Avenue and 65th Street looking at New York Public Library for the Performing Arts with seating area and mirror façade. Rendering by Brooklyn Digital Foundry.
The design was informed by community feedback from thousands of New Yorkers over a span of two years.
The closest subway from the complex is the 1 train at the 66th Street-Lincoln Center station at the intersection of Broadway, Columbus Avenue, and West 66th Street.
Lincoln Center is aiming to begin construction next year with a targeted completion date of May 2028. This timeline will limit the closure of Damrosch Park and its free summer performances to no more than two seasons.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
So much fluff in this project. Meanwhile the Metropolitan Opera House is literally falling apart,
This is nice but an insane amount of money.
nowhere in the article does it mention a price tag?
$335 million per the New York Times. They have already raised $218 million.
Why are people complaining about investment in a timeless landmark cultural center trying to improve and maintain relevance for generations? Mind boggling.
👍
Oh boy, this will cost a lot but should end up very nice.
This is an act of desperation on the part of the Center to attract new audiences as its attendance declines and gets older. Groups that have their own music traditions are unlikely to show up. This is a problem everywhere in the US for the traditional arts.
In the early planing of the Center, a flying saucer-like restaurant was envisioned in this space with a connection to the Opera House. Robert Moses insisted that there be a park and the idea was dropped.
In this instance, a good call by Moses. A huge restaurant (flying saucer-shaped, or otherwise) would have devoured the current bandshell area, and contributed to the site’s initial “fortress” aura. Now, it will be easier to open LC plaza to Amsterdam Ave, enabling greater use of the site’s outdoor spaces. Bravo !
It’s about time! They’ve been talking about doing this for years. But the rendering of the 65th and Amsterdam corner is wishful thinking. Nobody ever uses that staircase.
Given that the Center currently literally turns its back to the Amsterdam side of the complex and blocks it with a literal wall, this is a huge advance in opening the Plaza up to everyone and is overdue. To Pitbull Steve’s point, one of the reasons no one uses that existing staircase is that that side of the complex is so unappealing from a pedestrian standpoint.
The “hilarious” unmentioned part of this project is that the bandshell with its very amplified music and probably loud audience will face the projects. I’m sure they’ll be thrilled. Maybe the rich people on Columbus and Broadway objected to the current set-up?