David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center

2022Hall / TheaterCultural

Year: 2022
Category: Cultural · Hall / Theater
Type: Cultural
Status: Built
Firm: Diamond Schmitt
Location: New York, United States

David Geffen Hall, home to New York’s Philharmonic, at Lincoln Center is more than a music hall. It’s a cultural landmark. At its core the concert hall has through the years celebrated memorable moments, hosting notable performers and patrons. Originally designed by Max Abramovitz in 1962, the hall has gone under multiple renovations over the decades. These efforts attempted to address the—still unresolved—acoustical challenges. The reimagination project has reconceived the entire facility within its historic shell.

The design transforms the existing concert hall from a cavernous rectilinear shoebox into a curvilinear unified room. Built on the ‘surround hall’ concept, the stage has been brought forward by 25 feet, eliminating the proscenium, with seating enclosing it on all sides. This brings the entire audience closer to the performers, fostering an intimate connection between them, while optimizing the acoustic and visual experience. The new hall has multiple configurations, readily adaptable to accommodate a variety of performance including orchestra, solo performances, film, pop concerts, and staged opera.

It is enveloped by the warmth of natural molded beech wood walls that ensure reverberation, bass and sound differentiation. In addition to a highly versatile performance space, the new hall also emphasizes accessible, functional, and equitable environments. This permeates the plan from the plaza and open public spaces to the more intimate concert hall, and how artists are welcomed into the back-of-house facilities. These reconceptualized spaces include a reconfigured main lobby, new entrance with improved visitor flow and accessibility, and new promontories overlooking the lobby level, along with a large media wall visible from the street.

They provide greater moments for people to gather and more intuitive circulation throughout. The new David Geffen Hall enhances the concert-going experience, fosters a sense of community, and creates opportunities to support bold, innovative, and diverse artistic visions.