Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Performing arts center in Lincoln Square, Manhattan, US.
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center in Lincoln Square, Manhattan, with multiple theaters, concert halls, and educational institutions arranged across a central plaza. The buildings form a modernist complex from the early 1960s, organized around a fountain courtyard that connects all the performance spaces.
The federal government approved urban renewal funding in 1956, clearing several blocks of residential neighborhoods to make space for the new cultural complex. Construction began in 1959, and the first buildings opened in 1962, with the entire project completed by 1969.
The fountain between the opera house and concert halls becomes a meeting point for artists and audience members between performances. Evening crowds gather around the plaza to hear excerpts of rehearsals drifting through the open doors before shows begin.
The outdoor plaza with the fountain remains open to the public throughout the day without requiring tickets. Guided tours depart daily from the main entrance and walk through several performance venues, showing backstage areas and auditoriums.
Leonard Bernstein conducted the opening performance in 1962 at what was then called Philharmonic Hall, later renamed after a major donor. Architect Philip Johnson designed the New York State Theater, now known as the David H. Koch Theater, home to the ballet company.
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