Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 16.3-acre (6.6 ha) complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.

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History and facilities

A consortium of civic leaders and others led by, and under the initiative of John D. Rockefeller III, built Lincoln Center as part of the "Lincoln Square Renewal Project" during Robert Moses's program of urban renewal in the 1950s and 1960s.[1] Seventeen blocks of ethnic tenement neighborhoods were demolished through eminent domain, forcing out 7,000 families.[2] Respected architects were contacted to design the major buildings on the site, and over the next thirty years the previously blighted area around Lincoln Center became a new cultural hub.[2] Rockefeller was Lincoln Center's inaugural president from 1956 and became its chairman in 1961. He is credited with raising more than half of the $184.5 million in private funds needed to build the complex, including drawing on his own funds; the Rockefeller Brothers Fund also contributed to the project.[1]

While the center was named because it was located in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, it is unclear whether the area was named as a tribute to Abraham Lincoln. 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. There has long been speculation that the name came from a local landowner, because the square was previously named Lincoln Square. However, city records from the time show only the names Johannes van Bruch, Thomas Hall, Stephan de Lancey, James de Lancey, James de Lancey Jr. and John Somerindyck as area property owners. One speculation is that references to Abraham 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 during the Civil War and a bitter rival of Lincoln.[3]

The first structure to be completed and occupied as part of this renewal was the Fordham Law School of Fordham University in 1962. Located between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, from West 60th to West 66th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the Lincoln Center complex was the first gathering of major cultural institutions into a centralized location in an American city.

Lincoln Center cultural institutions also make use of facilities located away from the main campus. In 2004, Lincoln Center was expanded through the addition of Jazz at Lincoln Center's newly built facilities (Frederick P. Rose Hall) at the new Time Warner Center, located a few blocks to the south. In March 2006, Lincoln Center launched construction on a major redevelopment plan that will modernize, renovate, and open up the Lincoln Center campus in time for its 50th anniversary celebration in 2009.

The development of the condominium at 3 Lincoln Center,[4] completed in 1991, designed by Lee S Jablin, Harman Jablin Architects, made possible the expansion of The Juilliard School and The School of American Ballet.[5][6][7]

In March 2006, Lincoln Center launched the 65th Street Project—part of a major redevelopment plan continuing through the summer 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, one of Lincoln Center's most utilized facilities, was modernized and reopened to critical and popular acclaim in 2009 and the Film Society of Lincoln Center expanded with the new Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center. The Film Center is part of a new pavilion that also houses the destination restaurant, Lincoln, offices, and topped with a sloping lawn roof. 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 are the construction managers for the projects.[8][9] Another component to redevelopment was the addition of the David Rubenstein Atrium, a visitors' center and a gateway to Lincoln Center that offers free performances, day-of-discount tickets, food, and free wi fi.

Performance facilities at Lincoln Center

Lincoln Center has 29 indoor and outdoor performance facilities that include:

Other associated and local theaters and facilities

Resident organizations

Lincoln Center serves as home for 11 resident arts organizations:[10]

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. (LCPA) is one of the 11 resident organizations, and serves three primary roles: presenter of artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community relations, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. As the world's largest presenter of performing arts offering some 5000 programs, initiatives and events annually, its programs include American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, the Mostly Mozart Festival, and the Emmy Award-winning Live from Lincoln Center.[10][11]

In July 2006, LCPA announced it will join with publishing company John Wiley & Sons to publish at least 15 books on performing arts, and will draw on Lincoln Center Institute’s educational background and archives.[12]

Architects

Architects who designed buildings at Lincoln Center include:

Historical events

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Rockefeller Philanthropy: Lincoln Center
  2. ^ a b Roth, Leland M. "American Architecture: A History", Westview Press, 2001.
  3. ^ Glenn Collins (May 11, 2009). "50 Years In, Center's Name is Still a Mystery". New York Times (nytimes.com). http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/50-years-in-lincoln-centers-name-is-still-a-mystery/. Retrieved November 15, 2010. 
  4. ^ The New York Times, Sunday, July 28, 1991, "Architecture View", Paul Goldberger.
  5. ^ The New Yorker, August 19, 1991, "The Skyline", Brendan Gill, Pages 57-60.
  6. ^ The New York Times, Sunday, July 28, 1991, "Architecture View", Paul Goldberger.
  7. ^ Institute For Urban Design), Project Monograph, November 1989, Vol. 2, No. 4, "Three Lincoln Center", Pearl Bosco.
  8. ^ Pogrebin, Robin (August 17, 2006). "On 65th Street, Glimpsing Lincoln Center’s Future". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/17/arts/design/17linc.html. Retrieved 2010-07-31. 
  9. ^ "Transforming Lincoln Center" on Lincoln Center website
  10. ^ a b What is Lincoln Center, and what is a resident organization? Frequently Asked Questions: About Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  11. ^ About Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. (LCPA), About Lincoln Center and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. (LCPA). Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  12. ^ Kimberly Maul, "Wiley and Lincoln Center Dance Together", The Book Standard website, July 27, 2006
  13. ^ Ouroussoff, Nicolai (May 20, 2010). "The Greening of Lincoln Center". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/arts/design/21lincoln.html. Retrieved 2010-07-31. 

Further reading

External links