Overview
- Lincoln Center’s West Initiative, which held a groundbreaking Monday, begins taking down the Amsterdam Avenue wall and rebuilding Damrosch Park into open entries and public space.
- The plan centers on The Baron Theater, a 2,000-seat open-air venue slated to open in summer 2028 as the campus’s first new freestanding theater in 50 years.
- Funding comes from a roughly $335 million public–private campaign that includes $75 million from The Baron Family Foundation, a $75 million Stavros Niarchos Foundation grant, and $10 million from New York State.
- The site will become the SNF Gardens with groves, the Len Tow Community Stage, and the Starr Foundation Fountain, plus wider sidewalks, more trees, new benches, and better links to buses and the 65th Street–Broadway subway.
- Designed with neighborhood input since 2023, the project acknowledges the displaced San Juan Hill community with murals and promises more free programming for nearby residents, including NYCHA’s Amsterdam Houses.