Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Inspired by the history of jazz that originated in the vibrant neighborhood of San Juan Hill, the design is conceived as a welcoming “Ribbon for Performance” – an invitation for all to enjoy the rich legacy of music and performance at Lincoln Center and create welcoming destination for everyday informal gatherings year-round. This new chapter in the story of Lincoln Center will transform Damrosch Park into a destination for performance and play, discovery, and delight, engaging the entire community and connecting the magic of performance to a broader and more diverse audience.

The new state-of-the-art Theater Building will enable Lincoln Center to host world-class performances for 2000 guests, supporting events such as the Summer for the City series—and enabling neighborhood and community organizations to stage presentations with minimal operational requirements. The orientation of the theater opens both to the community to the west and to Lincoln Center’s signature Josie Robertson Plaza. The design’s two concentric canopies frame the oval Theater Plaza that supports more intimate connections between performers and audience members and creates a new yearound destination for the community.

The one hundred by forty-foot stage is sheltered by a vaulted roof that rises at the center of the theater and extends to the east and west ends to shelter two porches that double as places for informal  gatherings and performances throughout the year. Opposite the theater, the crescent of tiered seating, shaded by a trellis, offers an elevated place to enjoy performances and everyday activities.

As lead design architect for the theater, theater plaza, tiered amphitheater and elevated deck for smaller scale gatherings and performances, WEISS/MANFREDI is collaborating with at Hood Design Studio, landscape architects for the park, and Moody Nolan, Architect of Record. The team benefited from ideas and feedback from more than 3,400 New Yorkers who joined a participatory design process focused on creating a more open and accessible destination.