Jazz at Lincoln Center
Uniquely immersive spaces for jazz performance reflect the interactive spirit of the most American art form and herald its presence from a monumental window along the axis of 59th Street in Manhattan.
Rafael Viñoly Architects designed the Frederick P. Rose Hall, the new home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, as the world’s largest performance, education, and broadcast facility built specifically for jazz. Located on the fifth floor of Time Warner Center, a multiuse complex on Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York City, the multiroom, multivenue, highly flexible facility allows new forms of interaction between the audience and musicians and creates a musical experience unique to jazz.
Despite the challenges of locating a performance hall five stories above grade and embedded within a major commercial complex, two major performance venues are featured—Rose Theater, with flexible seating to accommodate 1,109 to 1,233 persons, and the Appel Room, with flexible seating to accommodate 310 to 600 guests. The complex also features an intimate jazz club, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, with 140 seats, and the Irene Diamond Education Center, a multipurpose classroom and studio.
Rose Theater, the largest venue, is a concert space designed for jazz performance, but it can also accommodate opera, dance, theater, film, and orchestral performances as well as lectures and presentation formats. Movable towers, which double as concert seating and elements of the orchestra shell, can create a “theater-in-the-round” and allow for various seating configurations on stage. Adjustable acoustical elements such as the retractable concert ceiling above the stage add to the flexibility of the theater.
The Appel Room overlooks Columbus Circle and Central Park, and the musicians perform on stage before a 15.2-meter-high (50-foot) glass wall providing one of New York City’s greatest views. The venue is visible from the street as well, reinforcing the presence of jazz music in the cultural life of the city. It has evolved into one of New York City’s most popular event venues.
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola is an intimate jazz club that also showcases the city skyline as a backdrop for the performers and is supported by a full kitchen. The room can accommodate ensemble performances, receptions, parties, educational seminars, and other events.
