Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Roof Replacements and Facade Investigations

Under the auspices of John D. Rockefeller III, construction of the famed performing arts campus at Lincoln Center began in the late 1950s. Since that time, the Center has expanded to include a collection of buildings by some of the most celebrated architects of the time, and it is home to New York’s major cultural institutions, including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, the New York Philharmonic, and the Juilliard School. Since 1987, Hoffmann Architects + Engineers has provided investigation and design services for a number of buildings at Lincoln Center, the largest presenter of performing arts in the world.

Metropolitan Opera House

Roof Replacement

Designed by Wallace K. Harrison and completed in 1966, the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center replaced the opera house at 39th Street and Broadway as the home of the Metropolitan Opera Company. The white travertine building, with its distinctive archways at the east facade, is one of the premier opera stages in the world. In the late 1980s, Hoffmann Architects + Engineers was retained to design and direct construction of a complete roof replacement on this unique structure. Above the famous gold-leaf ceiling and chandeliers, Hoffmann replaced existing roofing, including related flashings, insulation, ballast, and sheet metal. Twenty-five years later, when the roof reached the end of its service life, the Metropolitan Opera retained Hoffmann to design and administer a second roof replacement program. Rather than replace in kind, our architects and engineers developed a new roof design to reflect current codes, standards, and product technology as they evolved since the previous roof replacement. Both reroofing projects were completed at the least possible inconvenience to the opera-going public.