Lincoln Center To Redevelop David Geffen Hall For $550M

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The home of the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center is set to receive a $550 million face lift.

Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall will be entirely redeveloped in a project that is expected to be complete in 2024, Lincoln Center and New York Philharmonic officials announced Monday. The performing arts organizations assembled a design team of Diamond Schmitt Architects, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects │ Partners, Akustiks and Fisher Dachs Associates for the project

The new David Geffen Hall will reduce seating capacity by 500 seats down to 2,200 in an attempt to create a "single-room" concert hall, Lincoln Center officials said. In addition to reducing the number of seats, the stage will be moved forward by 25 feet and seats will be wrapped around it in order to move performers closer to the audience.

As a veteran of two major concert hall projects, I can say that the clear goals, the rigorous planning, and the actual design for the new David Geffen Hall give me confidence that this will be a singular success," Deborah Borda, president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic, said in a statement.

Other modifications to the building include a lobby that will be double its current size and connect to three different parts of the Lincoln Center campus. Union Square Hospitality Group will be brought in to operate a "destination eatery" in the building, Lincoln Center officials said.

David Geffen Hall will be closed from May 2022 to October 2022 and from May 2023 to February 2024, officials said. The New York Philharmonic will perform at alternate locations such as Carnegie Hall and New York City Center during the closures. Construction is expected to be complete by March 2024, Lincoln Center officials said.

"This project is all about greater connections," Henry Timms, President and CEO of Lincoln Center, said in a statement. "The new concert hall will unite performers and audiences; the dynamic public spaces will allow our communities — from visiting schools to concertgoers wanting to stay for a drink — to connect with each other. And the whole project re-sets how we engage with the outside world."