A Canadian architectural firm is leading a high-profile interior renovation of Lincoln Center’s historic Geffen Hall, home of the renowned New York Philharmonic.

Gary McCluskie, a lead designer for performing arts spaces at Toronto-based Diamond Schmitt Architects, said the long overdue revamp will preserve the exterior of the building, but the hall itself will undergo a total overhaul.

“Within the room itself, it’s a complete gut,” said McCluskie. “It’s an entirely new architectural and acoustic theatrical space within the existing building.”

The famous hall has been the site of criticism dating back decades regarding poor acoustics, a “fatal flaw built into the shape of the room,” said McCluskie, who is project manager for Geffen Hall. The current rectangular setting has also contributed to complaints about a lack of intimacy for the audience.

“They have, over the years, done upgrades, but they were always limited by the size of the space,” said McCluskie. “Now, with the more … comprehensive reworking, we can really build these things into the site.”

An attempt several years ago to move ahead with a major reno reportedly led by Diamond Schmitt was scrapped in 2017 partly due to the high cost, according to the New York Times and New York Magazine’s Vulture website. The construction budget for this project is currently $550 million, with $360 million raised to date.

McCluskie, who’s been working out of his company’s New York office for the last four years to lead the project, is well known for his niche expertise. In addition to his work on Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, he was also the managing principal for the award-winning Harman Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C., and the design architect for the Mariinsky Theatre II in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The new design for Geffen Hall, which has taken input from a theatre designer, structural engineer, mechanical engineer and acoustician among others, will shift the focus of the stage from the front of the room to the centre. Natural wood and reduced seating capacity will help with sound quality. And the room will also have more curvature for a sculptural quality, with the goal of feeling warmer and more inviting.

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