David Geffen Donates $100 Million for Avery Fisher Hall Transformation and Renaming
(© Mark Bussell)
Media executive and philanthropist David Geffen has given a $100 million gift to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to help fund a transformation of its largest concert hall. The performing arts building, currently known as Avery Fisher Hall, will be renamed David Geffen Hall in September, at the start of the New York Philharmonic’s 2015-16 season.
The renovation of the concert hall will be undertaken in close collaboration between Lincoln Center and the New York Philharmonic. The project is planned to begin construction in 2019 at an expected cost of $500 million. In addition to its primary purpose as the home for the New York Philharmonic, which has performed there since it opened in 1962, the redesigned concert hall will also feature the new Lincoln Center Hall of Fame.
"His gift provides the critical impetus for the project’s fundraising campaign," said Katherine Farley, chair of Lincoln Center, in a statement. "David has devoted much of his remarkable career to fostering young artists and musicians. His passion for the arts will be realized every day in the new David Geffen Hall."
