Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall Set for Major Renovation
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Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall is set to undergo a major renovation that will lead to the facility being closed for months-long stretches starting in 2022.
Lincoln Center and the New York Philharmonic announced Monday that the overhaul will require the temporary shuttering of Geffen Hall from May 2022 through October 2022 and again from May 2023 through February 2024. It’s scheduled to re-open in March 2024.
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Among the additions to Geffen Hall is a new facility called the Sidewalk Studio, to be visible from the street that is designed to be a hub for educational and community activities, performances and art installations, among other projects. The lobby will upgrade to double its size and a new welcome center will provide guests with a central location to visit before performances. The second floor Grand Promenade will expand with an event space with a capacity for 1,000 people
Geffen Hall’s stage will move forward by 25 feet and seating will wrap around it, re-calibrating the acoustics and placing audience members closer to the performers. Seating capacity will reduce from around 2,700 seats to 2,200.
“This project is all about greater connections,” said Henry Timms, president and CEO of Lincoln Center. “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.”
Gary McCluskie of Diamond Schmitt Architects is on board to design the new hall. Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects Partners will design the public spaces, with Paul Scarbrough of Akustiks and theater designer Joshua Dachs of Fisher Dachs Associates also contributing.
Originally known as Philharmonic Hall and then Avery Fisher Hall, the venue was renamed for Geffen after the music mogul made a $100 million gift to Lincoln Center in 2015.
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