Lincoln Center: Behind the Scenes

by Jessica Pleasants

We at FXFOWLE take pride in knowing that our buildings really shape how people interact with New York City—whether at the Bronx Zoo, in Times Square, or walking through Lower Manhattan. One of the perks of my job is having access to project architects who have spent hundreds of hours analyzing the site or designing details for a city-altering project. Not being an architect myself, I never thought I’d have the opportunity to see these buildings the way a member of the design team does. But lucky me! Our office organizes site visits to give staff behind-the-scenes looks at some of our works-in-progress.

I attended one of these site visits with Bob Katchur, project architect for Lincoln Center’s new public spaces. Regular patrons of Lincoln Center already will have noticed changes to the performing arts complex—a shaded tree grove, a sloped green lawn, and improved access from Columbus Avenue, Broadway, and 65^th Street. But, nobody knows Lincoln Center like Bob!

The cavernous mechanical complexities beneath Lincoln Center.

He took us underground and walked us through an enormous, three-story below-grade building that spans the entire north-south length of Lincoln Center. Although I had heard about the extent of the work done to the Plaza Building, actually seeing it gave me a real understanding of the complexities of its program. Portions of the structural floor slabs were removed to maximize the 460,000 square feet of usable space. Long, winding tunnels lead to expansive mechanical rooms that extend city blocks. The ceiling of Lincoln Center’s steam and electricity distribution room was cut out to make room for a new elevator pit above—all done without disturbing current steam and electricity service. The average opera connoisseur or ballet aficionado would have no idea of the mechanical complexities keeping Lincoln Center operational. But now, I do.

One of thirty trees lifted over Lincoln Center Theater to plant Barclay's Capital Grove.

Here are a few facts I learned that I thought I’d pass along:

• Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts comprises twelve separate constituencies; each was involved in the decision-making process. (Can you name them all?)
• During a single night, Barclay’s Capital Grove’ s thirty trees were lowered into place by a 300-foot crane anchored on 65^th Street that reached over Lincoln Center Theater.
• The monolithic surface of the North Plaza actually slopes. It’s so subtle that you can only notice it when you examine the edges of the reflecting pool.
• The unusual shape of the Illumination Lawn—geometrically a hyperbolic paraboloid—is a series of straight steel beams, each slightly more rotated than the previous. It slopes as much as 18 degrees in some parts.
• The design team evaluated over 3,000 species of grass before choosing the color and durability of Tall Fescue Grass and Kentucky Bluegrass for the lawn.