Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a major cultural institution ranking alongside notable music performance halls such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Radio City Music Hall, and Carnegie Hall. (The solution to the question of whether it deserves this prestigious status is obvious). The center is comprised of a complex of buildings sprawled among 16.3 acres of land; it is located between West 62nd and 66th Streets on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. An iconic symbol of New York City culture, Lincoln Center stands as the first gathering of major cultural institutions into a centralized location in a United States city. Evidence will be provided accordingly to clarify its hosted performance facilities, unique history, and the institution itself.

    Lincoln Center is officially labeled as an “art center, a building honoring past American Presidents, a New York City Landmark, a music venue in New York City, a Robert Moses project, and a physical representation of New York City culture.” Some may disagree, saying that it is rather a culmination of these things. Its multipurpose serves it quite well by offering it limitless possibilities in advancing itself further in the arts.

    Lincoln Center is not only renowned for its current status; it also boasts a rich history as a premier cultural institution.   Built by a consortium led by, and under the initiative of, John D. Rockefeller III during Robert Moses' program of urban renewal in the 1960s, its architects are among these listed: Eero Saarinen (designed the Vivian Beaumont Theater), Wallace Harrison (responsible for the Master Plan and Metropolitan Opera House), Gordon Bunshaft (his projects include The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts), Pietro Belluschi (his efforts are shown in The Juilliard School and Alice Truly Hall), and Max Abramovitz (planned the construction of Avery Fisher Hall).

    Contempt for tradition is appalling; thusly, the center welcomes change and progress. With modern improvements and renovations, in 2004, the center expanded through the addition of Jazz at Lincoln Center 's newly built facilities (Frederick P. Rose Hall) at the new Time Warner Center, located a few blocks to the South. Lincoln Center initiated another ambitious adjustment: beginning in August 2006, and continuing through 2009, Lincoln Center launched the 65th Street Redevelopment Project. This project will create a new pedestrian public walk designed to improve convenience and the aesthetics of that area of the campus. In July 2006, Lincoln Center announced it will join with publishing company John Wiley & Sons, Inc. to publish at least 15 books, which will focus on performing arts, and will draw on Lincoln Center Institute's educational background and archives. Any thoughtful observer must conclude that Lincoln Center will undoubtedly be busy for this current time and age.

    While Lincoln Center is busy juggling twelve 'Performance Facilities' (art companies that comprise the institution), associated and local theaters and facilities, and several resident and cultural companies, it still can present Special Event Presentations, fondly known as “Lincoln Center Presents.” These events include the Emmy Award-Winning “Live from Lincoln Center” and the Lincoln Center Festival. While Lincoln Center is a centralized gathering of prominent institutions, its art companies also make use of facilities located away from the main campus, leading to a huge campus befitting its title. Lincoln Center stands as one of America's finest in the areas of culture and the arts.