NEW YORK, NY.- Today, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts held a groundbreaking ceremony as the institution reimagines the west side of its campus, creating new spaces to advance the arts as a force for inspiration and connection for all. Lincoln Center will build a new, 2000-person venue named The Baron Theater, in recognition of donor, The Baron Family Foundation, founded by Judy and Ron Baron. The Theater will be a centerpiece of the new Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Gardens and the newest performance space at Lincoln Center. The design incorporates input from thousands of community members, part of a robust participatory process. Imagery and video of the project, and from today’s ceremony, are here.
The Baron Family Foundation made a transformative $75 million gift that honors the rich artistic traditions of New York City and invests in their future on Lincoln Center’s campus. Mr. Baron has hosted his company’s Annual Baron Investment Conference at Lincoln Center since 2004. In recognition of this gift, the world-class amphitheater, for approximately 2000 audience members and designed by WEISS/MANFREDI, will be named The Baron Theater. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) is a Founding Partner of the overall initiative to redesign Lincoln Center’s west face. SNF’s catalytic $75 million grant has also supported community engagement initiatives, projects that animated outdoor spaces during the pandemic, free programming throughout Summer for the City, and the ongoing Legacies of San Juan Hill initiative. In recognition of their support, the new performance gardens at Damrosch Park — home to The Baron Theater, as well as gardens, groves, a new water feature, and gathering spaces — will be named the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Gardens.
“The theme of Baron Capital’s 33rd annual conference this fall, that will be again held at Lincoln Center’s Metropolitan Opera House, is ‘1982.’ That is the year we founded Baron Capital. Baron Capital’s mission is to ‘Change Lives’ of our clients and employees. It’s always been about the impact we have on others’ lives, just like The Baron Theater in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Gardens is intended to bring art and beauty to the city we love,” said Ron Baron, Co-Founder and President of the Baron Family Foundation. “We are honored that Lincoln Center and New York City have allowed my family’s foundation to make a naming gift to build The Baron Theater. New York City and Lincoln Center, where we have held Baron Capital’s annual meeting for 22 years, have changed our lives. Our gift is intended to be a token of our appreciation.”
“We are honored and very happy to be able to contribute—as our founder did in the institution’s earliest years — to a generational change at Lincoln Center, a new beginning delivering a more engaging, more open, more all-embracing public space,” said Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). “We’re proud to be a Founding Partner in this very important initiative, and we can’t wait to share in the joy and delight New Yorkers and visitors from around the world will take in the reimagined campus."
"The arts shape the character and vitality of cities, and we are committed to contributing to a more expansive and inclusive future for all New Yorkers. The west side of Lincoln Center's campus has, for too long, sent a message of exclusion—but today, we are proud to break ground on a project that will change that. No matter where you enter the campus, you will be greeted with the sense of open welcome and possibility that arts and culture should offer for all. The construction around us today is temporary. The invitation to join us here on this incredible campus is permanent,” said Mariko Silver, President and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
The capital campaign’s $335 million goal to support the construction phase of the Initiative has been raised, thanks to the generosity of foundations, private donors, the LCPA Board of Directors, and public support from the State and City of New York. Today, the campaign continues on to support a robust lineup of free performances, including during the Summer for the City festival, for generations to come.
"New Yorkers have rallied around this Initiative with incredible generosity,” said Steven R. Swartz, Chair of the Board of Directors of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “Donors, artists, neighbors, students, staff — truly, New Yorkers from all walks of life — have been moved by the vision of a more welcoming Lincoln Center that offers new spaces for anyone to experience the arts in their daily lives. With this incredible support, we will deliver performance gardens that are spaces of welcome, of calm, and of art for generations to come.”
