Lincoln Center to transform 65th Street

Real Estate Weekly, March 5, 2003 by Steve Viuker

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts plans to start work next year on the transformation of West 65th Street into a bright, open boulevard of marquees, even though it has yet to raise any money for that project or any other part of its planned $1.2 billion redevelopment.

The renovation of West 65th Street will turn the block into a central artery of Lincoln Center and include new entrances for the Juilliard School; Lincoln Center Theater; Alice Tully Hall, where the Chamber Music Society and other Lincoln Center groups perform; and the Walter Reade Theater, home to the Film Society.

The 65th Street work will also be affected by what happens to Avery Fisher Hall, home to the New York Philharmonic, which has yet to decide now to aaaress its poor tics. Center officials initially seemed to be leaning toward razing the building and starting from scratch, but now they appear to be pulling back to save money, favoring an interior overhaul that would leave the building intact. A renovation is estimated to cost half as much as a projected $325 million reconstruction.

Reynold Levy, the president of Lincoln Center, said the center had asked two design firms -- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Norman Foster -- to submit proposals by May for a total renovation of Avery Fisher. Construction is expected to start next year. Levy said that fund-raising had yet to begin and that he would be looking for large lead gifts. Also under the 65th Street plan, the Film Society would get two additional theaters, one, with 150 seats, where successful films could be extended, the other with 75 seats.

The center announced a design team for its public spaces, to be led by Diller & Scofidio, in association with Fox & Fowle Architects and Cooper Robertson & Partners as planners. The design team's first project will be West 65th Street, the largest aspect of the $150 million redesign of the public areas and the first step in its effort to upgrade its buildings and grounds. Although the redevelopment has been estimated to cost $1.2 billion, Bruce Crawford, Lincoln Center chairman, has said that the figure could be revised downward, and that the institution was taking the project one step at a time.

Lincoln Center has long been criticized for being structurally closed off to the surrounding community, particularly the housing developments on Amsterdam Avenue. The 65th Street plan calls for opening the block between Broadway and Amsterdam, making it into a more pedestrian-friendly stretch that invites the neighborhood in with lively entrances for the seven Lincoln Center constituents and 12 performance spaces on the street.

The project will eliminate the large bridge over the street, substituting a new, narrower footbridge. The project will also feature technologically sophisticated signs with information about Lincoln Center events; the buildings will be clearly identified and transparent, allowing passers-by to look in at classes and other activities; and there will be a sweeping staircase into the plaza.