Lincoln Center Breaks Ground on $335M Redesign with New Theater and Gardens

Lincoln Center has broken ground on a $335 million redesign of its western edge, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Lincoln Center West Initiative. The project will replace the concrete-heavy Damrosch Park area with gardens, groves, public gathering spaces, and a new 2,000-person open-air amphitheater called The Baron Theater. Designed by WEISS/MANFREDI, it is Lincoln Center's first new freestanding theater in over 50 years. The redesign removes the wall along Amsterdam Avenue to improve accessibility, adding open entrances, green spaces, benches, and expanded sidewalks. Other features include a giant fountain, 50% more trees, flexible performance areas, shaded overlooks, public art honoring San Juan Hill history, and accessibility-focused pathways developed with disability advocates. Construction is expected to finish in summer 2028. Lincoln Center president and CEO Mariko Silver stated the west side had long sent a message of exclusion, and the redesign aims to create an open welcome.