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| Lincoln Center Scraps a $500 Million Geffen Hall Renovation | Lincoln Center Scraps a $500 Million Geffen Hall Renovation |
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| One of the biggest cultural building projects in the country was sent back to the drawing board on Tuesday, when the new leaders of Lincoln Center and the New York Philharmonic announced they were scuttling a half-billion-dollar plan for a gut renovation of David Geffen Hall and seeking simpler ways to improve the lackluster theater. | |
| It was a major setback for a project that has consumed the center and the Philharmonic for nearly 20 years. The latest plan, which was jump-started in 2015 with a $100 million gift from the entertainment mogul David Geffen, called for preserving the shell of the 1962 Max Abramovitz-designed building and creating a new concert hall within it. | It was a major setback for a project that has consumed the center and the Philharmonic for nearly 20 years. The latest plan, which was jump-started in 2015 with a $100 million gift from the entertainment mogul David Geffen, called for preserving the shell of the 1962 Max Abramovitz-designed building and creating a new concert hall within it. |
| The retrenchment is the latest reversal for a series of major New York cultural projects that have been delayed, rethought or scrapped. Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced it was pushing back plans for a new $600 million modern and contemporary wing, and last month the billionaire Barry Diller abandoned his idea to build a $250 million performance center on a man-made island in the Hudson River. | The retrenchment is the latest reversal for a series of major New York cultural projects that have been delayed, rethought or scrapped. Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced it was pushing back plans for a new $600 million modern and contemporary wing, and last month the billionaire Barry Diller abandoned his idea to build a $250 million performance center on a man-made island in the Hudson River. |
| There were difficulties with the Geffen Hall project from the start, including questions about who would pay for a project expected to cost more than $500 million and how the Philharmonic would survive when construction exiled it for a number of seasons. After Lincoln Center, the hall’s landlord, and the Philharmonic, its primary tenant, both found themselves under new management this year and the scope of the plans became clear, their new leaders put the brakes on, opting to seek other ways to improve the hall’s bland auditorium, acoustics and common areas. | There were difficulties with the Geffen Hall project from the start, including questions about who would pay for a project expected to cost more than $500 million and how the Philharmonic would survive when construction exiled it for a number of seasons. After Lincoln Center, the hall’s landlord, and the Philharmonic, its primary tenant, both found themselves under new management this year and the scope of the plans became clear, their new leaders put the brakes on, opting to seek other ways to improve the hall’s bland auditorium, acoustics and common areas. |
| “There was a general sense that the project had just gotten too complicated,” Debora L. Spar, the new president of Lincoln Center, said in a joint interview with Deborah Borda, the new president and chief executive of the Philharmonic. | “There was a general sense that the project had just gotten too complicated,” Debora L. Spar, the new president of Lincoln Center, said in a joint interview with Deborah Borda, the new president and chief executive of the Philharmonic. |
| Ms. Spar pointed to the old plan’s proposal to lower the auditorium, currently an escalator ride up, to be level with the center’s plaza — the centerpiece of the design by Heatherwick Studio and Diamond Schmitt Architects — which would have required considerable underground excavation, work on the building’s foundations, and a reconfiguration of its plumbing and other systems. | Ms. Spar pointed to the old plan’s proposal to lower the auditorium, currently an escalator ride up, to be level with the center’s plaza — the centerpiece of the design by Heatherwick Studio and Diamond Schmitt Architects — which would have required considerable underground excavation, work on the building’s foundations, and a reconfiguration of its plumbing and other systems. |
| Ms. Borda said that the turning point came when the construction and design teams said in recent months that they could not guarantee that the work would be done fast enough for the orchestra to lose its hall for only two seasons. Suddenly there was talk of construction dragging on into a third Philharmonic season, which posed a real danger to an orchestra that, like most of its peers, is already losing its subscription base and can ill-afford to spend a lengthy period in temporary housing. | Ms. Borda said that the turning point came when the construction and design teams said in recent months that they could not guarantee that the work would be done fast enough for the orchestra to lose its hall for only two seasons. Suddenly there was talk of construction dragging on into a third Philharmonic season, which posed a real danger to an orchestra that, like most of its peers, is already losing its subscription base and can ill-afford to spend a lengthy period in temporary housing. |
| “This was news — this was a genuine surprise,” Ms. Borda said. “For the Philharmonic, the issue of being out of the hall for three years was simply profound.” | “This was news — this was a genuine surprise,” Ms. Borda said. “For the Philharmonic, the issue of being out of the hall for three years was simply profound.” |
| Ms. Spar said that Mr. Geffen — whose $100 million gift was to be made in stages, with $15 million given up front and the rest as the project hit certain milestones — was “on board” with the decision to change directions. | Ms. Spar said that Mr. Geffen — whose $100 million gift was to be made in stages, with $15 million given up front and the rest as the project hit certain milestones — was “on board” with the decision to change directions. |
| In a brief statement, Mr. Geffen, whose gift renamed the hall for him in perpetuity, said: “I’m happy. I know they’ll do something great.” | In a brief statement, Mr. Geffen, whose gift renamed the hall for him in perpetuity, said: “I’m happy. I know they’ll do something great.” |
| The new approach will be less monumental and more incremental. There is not yet a price tag, a design team, a time frame, or a specific set of proposals, but Ms. Spar and Ms. Borda said they envisioned substantially reconfiguring the auditorium with work that could be done in phases. They said they would work to improve the hall’s acoustics; explore the idea of bringing the stage further into the auditorium, as the Mostly Mozart festival does in the space each summer; and weigh losing some seats to make the cavernous hall feel more intimate. | The new approach will be less monumental and more incremental. There is not yet a price tag, a design team, a time frame, or a specific set of proposals, but Ms. Spar and Ms. Borda said they envisioned substantially reconfiguring the auditorium with work that could be done in phases. They said they would work to improve the hall’s acoustics; explore the idea of bringing the stage further into the auditorium, as the Mostly Mozart festival does in the space each summer; and weigh losing some seats to make the cavernous hall feel more intimate. |
| The Philharmonic has been citing an “urgent need” to renovate its home since at least 1999. In the years since, it has tapped the architect Norman Foster to create a redesign that went nowhere; made an embarrassing attempt to leave Lincoln Center altogether and return to its old home at Carnegie Hall; and wrangled for years about what it wanted, what it could afford, and how it could survive once construction started. | The Philharmonic has been citing an “urgent need” to renovate its home since at least 1999. In the years since, it has tapped the architect Norman Foster to create a redesign that went nowhere; made an embarrassing attempt to leave Lincoln Center altogether and return to its old home at Carnegie Hall; and wrangled for years about what it wanted, what it could afford, and how it could survive once construction started. |
| But the project seemed to be getting on track in recent years: Lincoln Center negotiated a $15 million deal to persuade the heirs of Avery Fisher, for whom the hall was named after an earlier renovation, to relinquish the naming rights; the hall was renamed for Mr. Geffen in recognition of his gift; and a design team was chosen. The advancing plans even became a factor in the change of music directors at the Philharmonic: Alan Gilbert said that he decided to leave after last season in part so his successor — who will be Jaap van Zweden — would have time to acclimate before construction began. | But the project seemed to be getting on track in recent years: Lincoln Center negotiated a $15 million deal to persuade the heirs of Avery Fisher, for whom the hall was named after an earlier renovation, to relinquish the naming rights; the hall was renamed for Mr. Geffen in recognition of his gift; and a design team was chosen. The advancing plans even became a factor in the change of music directors at the Philharmonic: Alan Gilbert said that he decided to leave after last season in part so his successor — who will be Jaap van Zweden — would have time to acclimate before construction began. |
| Then both organizations lost their leaders. Jed Bernstein, the president of Lincoln Center, left his post last year after failing to disclose a relationship with a staff member. Earlier this year the Philharmonic’s president, Matthew VanBesien, stepped down as well. With a leadership vacuum at a key juncture, responsibility for the project fell largely to Katherine G. Farley, the chairwoman of Lincoln Center, who had helped secure Mr. Geffen’s gift and drew on her experience in the real estate industry as she worked to guide the process. | Then both organizations lost their leaders. Jed Bernstein, the president of Lincoln Center, left his post last year after failing to disclose a relationship with a staff member. Earlier this year the Philharmonic’s president, Matthew VanBesien, stepped down as well. With a leadership vacuum at a key juncture, responsibility for the project fell largely to Katherine G. Farley, the chairwoman of Lincoln Center, who had helped secure Mr. Geffen’s gift and drew on her experience in the real estate industry as she worked to guide the process. |
| Ms. Farley said in a statement that she remained “committed to creating a welcoming and world-class experience in the re-envisioned hall” and that “we are excited to be embarking on a new master plan to achieve those goals.” | Ms. Farley said in a statement that she remained “committed to creating a welcoming and world-class experience in the re-envisioned hall” and that “we are excited to be embarking on a new master plan to achieve those goals.” |
| Both Ms. Spar and Ms. Borda were selected for their new roles in part because of their experience with capital projects. In her prior job as the president of Barnard College, Ms. Spar started a $400 million capital campaign. Ms. Borda led the Los Angeles Philharmonic when it moved into its enormously successful Frank Gehry-designed home, Walt Disney Concert Hall, in 2003. They took over as the schematic design phase of the Geffen Hall project was being completed — and both became concerned by what they were seeing. | Both Ms. Spar and Ms. Borda were selected for their new roles in part because of their experience with capital projects. In her prior job as the president of Barnard College, Ms. Spar started a $400 million capital campaign. Ms. Borda led the Los Angeles Philharmonic when it moved into its enormously successful Frank Gehry-designed home, Walt Disney Concert Hall, in 2003. They took over as the schematic design phase of the Geffen Hall project was being completed — and both became concerned by what they were seeing. |
| Hanging over the project were questions about how much money the city could be expected to contribute. Recent mayors, including Rudolph W. Giuliani and Michael R. Bloomberg, have made large capital investments in New York’s major cultural institutions, but the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio has focused its cultural policy on smaller institutions in all five boroughs. In recent years, Lincoln Center has worked to expand its programs for children outside of Manhattan, and last year it released a report that tried to quantify its economic contributions to New York. Officials at Lincoln Center said they had not yet reached the stage of discussing financial support for Geffen Hall with the city. | Hanging over the project were questions about how much money the city could be expected to contribute. Recent mayors, including Rudolph W. Giuliani and Michael R. Bloomberg, have made large capital investments in New York’s major cultural institutions, but the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio has focused its cultural policy on smaller institutions in all five boroughs. In recent years, Lincoln Center has worked to expand its programs for children outside of Manhattan, and last year it released a report that tried to quantify its economic contributions to New York. Officials at Lincoln Center said they had not yet reached the stage of discussing financial support for Geffen Hall with the city. |
| The hall has been criticized for its acoustics since it opened, but some musicians who have performed there say that its bigger problem is its lack of intimacy — one of the things the new scheme will try to address. | The hall has been criticized for its acoustics since it opened, but some musicians who have performed there say that its bigger problem is its lack of intimacy — one of the things the new scheme will try to address. |
| “In terms of the kind of human heart-to-heart contact that you really look for in a concert setting, it’s hard to achieve that here,” Mr. Gilbert said last spring as he prepared to conduct his final concerts as music director. “Because there is a kind of distant, impersonal feeling that is just sort of in the gestalt of the room.” | “In terms of the kind of human heart-to-heart contact that you really look for in a concert setting, it’s hard to achieve that here,” Mr. Gilbert said last spring as he prepared to conduct his final concerts as music director. “Because there is a kind of distant, impersonal feeling that is just sort of in the gestalt of the room.” |
| While the Philharmonic always realized there was a risk to being out of their home for even two seasons, its previous leaders were gambling that a dazzling new home would prove a powerful draw — short-term pain for long-term gain. But Ms. Spar and Ms. Borda said they were confident that even a less ambitious overhaul could still transform the concertgoing experience. | While the Philharmonic always realized there was a risk to being out of their home for even two seasons, its previous leaders were gambling that a dazzling new home would prove a powerful draw — short-term pain for long-term gain. But Ms. Spar and Ms. Borda said they were confident that even a less ambitious overhaul could still transform the concertgoing experience. |