Plans for the renovation include removing the plaza and constructing new entrances to buildings on both sides, in order to give the center a connection to street-level traffic that it has never had. Tully Hall, Juilliard, and other buildings on the north side of the street will also be expanded.
The design, created by the firms of Diller Scofidio + Renfro and FX Fowle Architects, is intended to create a "dynamic Street of the Arts," according to a press release, "enhancing street presence for resident organizations."
The renovation will begin with the creation of a temporary pedestrian bridge across 65th Street in May and the demolition of the current plaza in June and July. Construction is scheduled to be completed by 2009, when the center celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Lincoln Center also announced that conceptual designs for the renovation of Jose Robertson Plaza and the Columbus Street side of the center, a subsequent stage in the redevelopment, have been approved. The redevelopment will also include the reconstruction of Avery Fisher Hall, the home of the New York Philharmonic. Designs have not yet been made public, but preliminary plans reportedly include a thrust stage surrounded by seating.