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Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Up With the Arts, at Lincoln Center

Lincoln Center
Photo by myself at Lincoln Center, at 63rd Street and Broadway.

Parts of this landmark in the background have been undergoing major redesign, so there are temporary walls and scaffolding everywhere. Many of the performance halls are being updated.

Most notably, Alice Tully Hall has been completely transformed. Once a limestone building matching the other buildings of the Lincoln Center complex, the lobby of Alice Tully Hall is now a modern glass atrium. The resulting space is striking and visually engages the street.

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The streetscape in New York is constantly changing - there is always something coming down and something else going up. Don't get too attached to anything!

Lincoln Center was a huge modern project in its day. City blocks were torn down in the 1960's to make way for a vast urban space dedicated to the arts. It is now home to the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet and the Julliard School of Music.

The original design was modeled on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, where three related buildings surround an open square.

The Lincoln Center redesign has been in the works for years. At one point I'd heard that Frank Gehry had planned to cover the outdoor plaza with an enormous sculptural glass roof. For whatever reason (perhaps structural?) his design never went forward.

Related posts: The Majestic Ansonia, Living in Style on Riverside Drive and The Sky is Falling.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful shot!

Emma Bond said...

Love your blog! Hope to visit NYC one day, your photos really give a taste of the city.

Olivier said...

belle photo de nuit, Le Lincoln Center est superbe le soir, avec sa fontaine.
nice night photograph, Lincoln Center is superb in the evening, with his fountain.

Anonymous said...

A few years ago, a friend of mine lived just steps away from Lincoln Center and it was impressive in its old original form... Can't wait to see the redesign in person!

Prabath said...

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tr3nta said...

wonderful photo, beautiful building.

• Eliane • said...

Superb! I love the colors here.