Lincoln Center is building a new outdoor theater and garden space

"The iconic performing arts campus officially broke ground this week on a massive redesign of its western edge, a massive transformation that will turn the longtime concrete-heavy stretch around Damrosch Park into a space with gardens, groves, public gathering areas and a brand-new 2,000-person amphitheater called The Baron Theater."

"The whole thing is part of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Lincoln Center West Initiative, a $335 million project that aims to make one of New York's most famous cultural institutions feel much less fortress-like and much more like an actual neighborhood park people can casually wander into. Construction is expected to wrap in summer 2028."

"The biggest addition is The Baron Theater, Lincoln Center's first new freestanding theater in more than 50 years. Designed by architecture firm WEISS/MANFREDI, the open-air venue will host free performances for up to roughly 2,000 people and sit inside a newly landscaped park filled with lawns, flowering trees, shady seating areas and interactive water features."

"One of the biggest physical changes: the removal of the imposing wall along Amsterdam Avenue, which has long separated the campus from surrounding neighborhoods and nearby NYCHA developments. In its place will be open entrances, green spaces, benches, pathways and expanded sidewalks meant to make the campus feel dramatically more accessible and usable year-round."

A $335 million redesign will transform Lincoln Center’s western edge around Damrosch Park. The project will replace a concrete-heavy area with gardens, groves, public gathering spaces, and a newly landscaped park. A new 2,000-person open-air amphitheater called The Baron Theater will provide free performances and include lawns, flowering trees, shaded seating, and interactive water features. The redesign is part of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Lincoln Center West Initiative and is expected to finish in summer 2028. The project will remove the imposing Amsterdam Avenue wall and add open entrances, green spaces, benches, pathways, and expanded sidewalks to improve access and year-round usability.

Read at Time Out New York