Governor Hochul Celebrates Groundbreaking of Transformative Lincoln Center West Initiative

Governor Kathy Hochul today celebrated the groundbreaking of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Lincoln Center West Initiative, a transformative project that will redevelop Damrosch Park and reimagine the western side of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts campus into a more welcoming, accessible, and inclusive public space. Supported by $10 million in State capital funding, the project will deliver a new state-of-the-art outdoor performance venue, expanded green spaces, improved streetscapes along Amsterdam Avenue, and year-round community amenities. The redesigned campus is set to open in summer 2028.

"Lincoln Center is one of the world's premier cultural destinations, and this project will ensure it remains a place where every New Yorker feels welcome," Governor Hochul said. "By investing in this transformative redevelopment, we're opening up world-class arts and performance spaces to the surrounding community, creating new opportunities for free programming, and ensuring that the next generation of New Yorkers can experience the power of the arts right in their own neighborhood."

The SNF Lincoln Center West Initiative will redevelop the approximately 2.4-acre Damrosch Park, replacing the existing Guggenheim Bandshell with a newly designed permanent outdoor performance venue - The Baron Theater - capable of hosting free performances for audiences of up to 2,000. The project will also remove the existing wall along Amsterdam Avenue, opening the campus to the surrounding neighborhood and creating new entry points, gardens, seating areas, and a 50 percent increase in trees on the site.

The project is being designed by Hood Design Studio, WEISS/MANFREDI, and Moody Nolan, and incorporates feedback from thousands of community members gathered through a robust participatory planning process. Engagement included more than 7,000 touchpoints with stakeholders, including residents of NYCHA's Amsterdam Houses and Amsterdam Addition, students from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Educational Complex, and members of Manhattan Community Board 7.

In addition to the redesigned park and performance venue, the project includes streetscape improvements along Amsterdam Avenue, with widened sidewalks, new benches, increased greenery, improved bus waiting areas, and enhanced pedestrian access. The project will also deliver upgrades to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts entrance and improve circulation between Amsterdam Avenue and the West 65th Street/Broadway subway station.

The State's investment is part of a broader $335 million capital campaign that has been fully raised through foundations, private donors, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Board of Directors, and public support from the State and City of New York. The project is expected to support approximately 3,640 worker-positions over the construction period, with on-site workforce projected to peak at approximately 230 workers per day by the end of 2027.

The redevelopment also honors the rich cultural history of the San Juan Hill neighborhood, the historically Black and Latino community that once thrived on the site. As part of this commitment, Lincoln Center recently unveiled "The Future We Create," a mural by lead artist Vanesa Álvarez and assistant artist Derval Fairweather that depicts historic figures from the neighborhood - including James P. Johnson, Thelonious Monk, Mary White Ovington, and Arturo Alfonso Schomburg - alongside current residents. The mural is on view along Amsterdam Avenue and 62nd Street.

The project builds on Lincoln Center's growing commitment to free, accessible programming for all New Yorkers. The annual Summer for the City festival has served more than 1.6 million visitors since its launch in 2022, with hundreds of free events and thousands of artists performing across Lincoln Center's 16-acre campus. Lincoln Center also offers a free NYCHA Neighbors Pass to residents of Amsterdam Houses, Amsterdam Addition, and Harborview Terrace, providing priority entry to free performances and early booking for additional programming.

Dormitory Authority of the State of New York President & CEO Robert J. Rodriguez said, "Under Governor Hochul's leadership, New York continues to invest in the cultural infrastructure that makes our state a destination for creativity, opportunity, and connection. The Lincoln Center West project reflects what's possible when world-class institutions open their doors wider to the communities around them. By transforming Damrosch Park into a more welcoming and accessible space, this project will bring new opportunities for free programming, public gathering, and artistic expression to the residents, students, and families who call this neighborhood home."

State Senator José M. Serrano said, "The groundbreaking of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Lincoln Center West Initiative marks an exciting new chapter for the Lincoln Center campus. As Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation, I am pleased to celebrate the creation of this new outdoor performance venue and expansion of surrounding green spaces, which will welcome more visitors to experience free and accessible programming, allowing everyone to enjoy the vibrant art scene that New York has to offer."

State Senator Erik Bottcher said, "Lincoln Center is one of the great cultural institutions of New York and the world, and this transformative investment will make its campus more open, welcoming, and connected to the surrounding community. By creating new green space, expanding free public programming, and honoring the San Juan Hill community, the Lincoln Center West initiative reflects the very best of what public investment in the arts and public space can achieve for both the Upper West Side and all New Yorkers. This is how we create world-class public space: more open, more beautiful, and more connected to the people it serves. Thank you to Governor Hochul, Dr. Silver, and the entire Lincoln Center leadership team for making the critical investments to move this project forward."

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal said, "With today's announcement, Lincoln Center, one of the crown jewels in my district, will be on its way to becoming physically accessible to the entire West Side community. Lincoln Center's years-long commitment to erasing the exclusivity wrought by the Robert Moses era is commendable, and their work in breaking down those barriers, literally and figuratively, will have a transformative impact on our community. I was proud to have secured state funding for this initiative, and I will continue working with community and state stakeholders to bring this project to fruition."