Check out renderings of Lincoln Center's new performance venue and community park

Along with being a hub for world-class theater, opera, ballet and more, the campus of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is also one of New York's most stunning spaces. And as part of a $335 million capital campaign, there will be even more beauty to come—the west side of the cultural institution's campus along Amsterdam Avenue will get a dramatic facelift in the coming months, with plans for a new outdoor performance venue, community park spaces, new welcome entrances and more.

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Designed by Hood Design Studio (Landscape Architect), WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism (Design Architect) and Moody Nolan (Architect of Record), the new campus will see the removal of a separating wall at Damrosch Park, which will open up the plaza to outdoor spaces for public enjoyment. (Per Lincoln Center, the project design incorporated extensive community feedback from uptown residents, community groups, students and more.)

New community spaces (renderings of which you can see below) will include an expansive lawn space surrounded by flowering trees, centered on a water feature animated by mist, water jets, and reflection, "which will be a community resource for relaxation and kids’ play." Tree groves will add extra shade and seating, including fixed benches and movable chairs, while an open terrace and performance area will allow for smaller-scale community performances and family programming.

Developed with input from NYC Parks, the design aims to "improve pedestrian circulation and prioritizes place for community use and relaxation—that means sidewalk upgrades like an improved bus waiting area, increased greenery and shade, more benches and lighting, and an expanded sidewalk between West 62nd and 65th Streets.

And, arguably most excitingly, the campus improvements feature a new performance venue, which includes a permanent theater structure and an inviting, open plaza for audience seating of up to approximately 2,000 attendees.

Maintaining Damrosch Park's primary and historic use as a performance park, the updates include technological, infrastructural and recreational improvements, including an Artists' Bar adjacent to the theater (with food and beverage during performances and non-performance seasons) and a shaded overlook with tiered seating to improve audience sightlines during live shows.

Construction along the western edge of Lincoln Center is slated to begin during spring 2026 and to be complete by spring 2028. Stay tuned!