Daniel Robinson and Michelle Plastrik
The topic of our project will be Lincoln Center. No less than twelve major arts institutions call Lincoln Center home—the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, the New York Philharmonic, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the Juilliard School—just to name a few. Yet prior to the Center’s construction, Lincoln Square and its environs were notorious for crime, which is attested to by the fact that the directors of West Side Story deemed the area a good place to film dance numbers for the movie’s gangs. Keeping in mind this major contrast, we will explore the impacts—physical, economic, and social—Lincoln Center has had on its surroundings. We will also examine Lincoln Center’s most recent $1 billion redevelopment project, which has attempted to rejuvenate the Center by making it more visitor-friendly and to open the area up more for public space. In addition, we will interview New Yorkers who use Lincoln Center and tap into their reactions to its redevelopment. Indeed, New Yorkers have strong personal attachments to and fond memories associated with Lincoln Center and there has been an active preservationist voice against the recent construction. The particular recent angst over redoing the Center’s Revson Fountain confirms this. We will integrate the results of this fieldwork and our research to create proposals about how to improve the area.
