When I first heard rumblings about Lincoln Center being demolished and rebuilt in the 1990s,
I was pretty upset. I always loved the three main buildings for their clean lines, sweeping arches, early
1960s sensibility and the open plan of its central courtyard. I was fearful, as many New Yorkers were,
that this unique complex of buildings would be replaced with a homogenized, charmless monolith.
All of my fears were squelched, however, when a new design plan emerged. It favored updating
adjacent outdoor spaces, smaller theaters that belonged to the complex, pedestrian ramps, lighted
stairways and the iconic central fountain in an urban planning project that respected both the original
design and the needs of 21st Century New York City. Well done, Lincoln Center… You look fantastic.
