Despite common belief, there’s no evidence that Lincoln Center or the surrounding neighborhood of Lincoln Square were named after President Abraham Lincoln, according to Lincoln Center archivist Judith Johnson. “It is one of those questions that should have an answer because so many other places in New York have a reason for their naming. But that’s not true here,” Johnson commented to The New York Times in 2009.
The article also cited Harold Holzer, the author of over 30 books about President Lincoln and the Civil War, confirming that many historians have “looked in the archives, and it is truly bizarre that there is no record of why it was named Lincoln Square.”
The article also cited Harold Holzer, the author of over 30 books about President Lincoln and the Civil War, confirming that many historians have “looked in the archives, and it is truly bizarre that there is no record of why it was named Lincoln Square.”
Whether the name’s origin is ever uncovered, Lincoln Center and Lincoln Square are well known for their significant cultural and residential transformations, blending artistic innovation with urban revitalization into a neighborhood filled with endless options for lifestyle and entertainment.
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Lincoln Center Campus
View of Lincoln Center and its surrounds from 30 Lincoln Plaza (Compass)
Last week, Lincoln Center announced a transformative $335 million plan to overhaul Damrosch Park, located on the southwest corner of its campus. The redesign, shaped by extensive community input from over 3,400 residents (including residents of nearby NYCHA housing), artists, and students, aims to create a more inclusive, accessible, and welcoming public space. Key features include replacing a long-standing wall on Amsterdam Avenue with a series of welcoming entrance points, a new permanent theater and open plaza adjacent to David H. Koch Theater, new community features centered around a water feature and large lawn area, and increased greenery, seating, and lighting in the surrounding area.
This revitalization not only enhances the campus’s physical environment but also acknowledges its layered history. Damrosch Park sits near what was once San Juan Hill, a historically significant Black neighborhood that was displaced during the creation of Lincoln Center in the 1950s. The redesign includes commemorative elements and programming that honor this cultural legacy. By centering community feedback and honoring the area's diverse heritage, Lincoln Center is working to transform its public spaces into hubs of connection, cultural expression, and civic pride.
Aerial rendering of Lincoln Center's new campus (Brooklyn Digital Foundry)
The announcement for the revamped campus comes shortly after another transformation in Lincoln Center. In October 2022, or roughly two years ahead of schedule, a $550 million renovation of David Geffen Hall reimagined the iconic home of the New York Philharmonic. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, the redesign enhances acoustics and accessibility while preserving the hall's original façade. The renovation added a new 2,200-seat Wu Tsai Theater, a new 2,200-seat theater and community space that includes a flexible public living room with an 8-foot screen for live-streamed performances, and Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi, an Afro-Caribbean restaurant described by Chef Kwame as "a love letter to New York."
David Geffen Hall (Lincoln Center)
Featured developments in Lincoln Square
Rising from a layered past, Lincoln Square and its iconic Lincoln Center have long stood at the crossroads of New York City’s cultural and urban evolution. Despite the enduring question of whether the neighborhood was named after Abraham Lincoln, the area’s significance is unmistakable. Today, Lincoln Square is a dynamic hub where world-class performing arts, ambitious architectural projects, and vibrant residential life converge, reflecting both the neighborhood’s storied heritage and its ongoing reinvention as a center for creativity, community, and modern life.
Lincoln Square has undergone waves of residential development, with several notable projects either recently completed or currently under construction. Below, see an overview of some of the key developments.
Gary Barnett's Extell Development Company has proposed a new supertall residential skyscraper for 77 West 66th Street on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Developed by Extell, the tower would reach 1,200 feet and 90 stories, making it the tallest building in the neighborhood. The design features a podium base, a gradual setback, and a rectangular tower topped with stepped terraces and mechanical floors. Because it complies with current zoning, the project can move forward as of right, without requiring special approvals. Community Board 7 has asked Extell to incorporate affordable housing and is encouraging a zoning review, although the current plans fall outside the Lincoln Square Special District and do not trigger ULURP, limiting the board’s influence.
Fordham University
In April 2023, student newspaper Fordham Observer reported that Fordham University is still considering further expansion of its Lincoln Center campus, plans for which date back to the early 2000s. The university has indicated that the proposed construction aims to address housing shortages and accommodate a growing student population. Additionally, the proposed plans include a student center located where McMahon Lawn is and a new library near McKeon Hall in place of the current Quinn Library.
However, there is no set timeline, budget, or funding sources for the expansion, and economic conditions and rising construction costs have further slowed down the project. The university plans to revisit construction plans in the future.
However, there is no set timeline, budget, or funding sources for the expansion, and economic conditions and rising construction costs have further slowed down the project. The university plans to revisit construction plans in the future.
In addition to the Whole Foods supermarket at Columbus Circle, Wegmans announced a long-term lease at the former Bed, Bath & Beyond space at 1932 Broadway (between West 64th and 65th Streets). A December 2025 opening is rumored but has not been officially confirmed
Fordham University's Lincoln Square campus master plan approved in 2009. Credit: Cooper, Robertson & Partners. Image is for master planning purposes only and does not represent completely designed buildings.
50 West 66th Street, spring 2025
Extell Development's 69-story skyscraper at 50 West 66th Street is the tallest building on the Upper West Side. The design draws inspiration from Central Park's rock formations as well as he historic grandeur of Central Park West. Over one third of units have private outdoor space, and a carved setback incorporates amenities like a Sky Lounge and an outdoor swimming pool. Closings commenced in February 2025.
350 West 71st Street (Compass)
This seven-story condominium, designed by DXA Studio, combines two landmarked buildings into 38 contemporary residences. Amenities include a library with built-in window seats, a fitness center with Peloton bikes, a children's playroom, and a landscaped roof terrace with views of the Upper West Side.
Located in the Central Park West Historic District, this eight-story building has been transformed from a Beaux-Arts hotel to a luxury condominium. Units feature high ceilings, oversized windows, contemporary finishes, and access to amenities like a private courtyard, fitness center, and lounge.
The Park Loggia is a 33-story condominium located at the crossroads of Midtown and the Upper West Side. Designed by the renowned architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill—also responsible for One World Trade Center—the sleek, sophisticated building features floor-to-ceiling windows framed in fluted terra cotta, subtly echoing the classic white columns of the nearby Lincoln Center. The building exudes elegance throughout, from the canopied porte-cochere entrance and stone-clad, doorman-attended lobby to the rooftop's triple-height loggia promenade, providing tranquil lounge areas high above the bustling city. There is a Target in the base of the building.
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200 Amsterdam Avenue is a 52-story luxury tower on the Upper West Side, inspired by classic pre-war architecture. It offers 112 spacious residences with high ceilings and sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline, Hudson River, and Central Park. Designed by Elkus Manfredi with interiors by CetraRuddy, each home includes premium features like entry foyers, laundry areas, and advanced climate control systems.
Residents enjoy world-class amenities across three curated floors, including a spa, fitness center, 75-foot saltwater pool, and a private club with a library. The building's connection to Lincoln Center comes through between the "Little Composers" children's playroom and music practice room/rehearsal space, and residents receive a complimentary year membership to Lincoln Center.
Residents enjoy world-class amenities across three curated floors, including a spa, fitness center, 75-foot saltwater pool, and a private club with a library. The building's connection to Lincoln Center comes through between the "Little Composers" children's playroom and music practice room/rehearsal space, and residents receive a complimentary year membership to Lincoln Center.
Located on the site of an unrealized New York City Opera house project, AIRE is a 43-story luxury rental building in a prime Upper West Side location near Lincoln Center and Central Park. Designed by Handel Architects and completed in 2010, it offers studio to three-bedroom residences with floor-to-ceiling windows, high ceilings, hardwood floors, and upscale kitchens. Amenities include a concierge-attended lobby, fitness center, yoga room, library, children’s playroom, rehearsal spaces, and a landscaped elevated park with a reflecting pool.
Unrealized Projects
Before he became president, Donald Trump proposed “Television City,” a massive real estate proposed project in the mid-1980s. It was set to transform a 57-acre rail yard on Manhattan’s Upper West Side into a sprawling complex featuring a 150-story skyscraper (then envisioned as the world’s tallest), thousands of apartments, studios, a hotel, and a new headquarters for NBC.
Designed by architect Helmut Jahn, the project faced intense local opposition due to its size and impact, and NBC ultimately stayed at Rockefeller Center. After the original plan stalled, a scaled-down version called Riverside South was approved in the 1990s, incorporating shorter buildings and an extension of Riverside Park. Trump sold his interest in the project by 2005.
Designed by architect Helmut Jahn, the project faced intense local opposition due to its size and impact, and NBC ultimately stayed at Rockefeller Center. After the original plan stalled, a scaled-down version called Riverside South was approved in the 1990s, incorporating shorter buildings and an extension of Riverside Park. Trump sold his interest in the project by 2005.
Goldberg's ABC campus
In the 1960s, architect/industrial designer Bertrand Goldberg’s rising national profile earned him a major commission to design ABC’s New York City headquarters. He studied the company’s workflow to create a plan of clustered offices, support spaces, and meeting rooms shaped by flowing concrete walls. The centerpiece was a dramatic illuminated broadcast tower, taller than the Empire State Building, serving both function and branding.
Had it been built, it would have placed Goldberg among the era’s top modernist architects in New York. But despite the project's cost-effectiveness, it was ultimately shelved after a financial setback at ABC. The network ultimately moved to new, state-of-the-art headquarters in Hudson Square in late 2024. Named the Robert A. Iger Building in honor of Mr. Iger's 50-year legacy with the company, it houses a wide range of Disney's New York City operations (various ABC news functions among them) and aims to serve as a collaborative hub for employees across divisions.
Had it been built, it would have placed Goldberg among the era’s top modernist architects in New York. But despite the project's cost-effectiveness, it was ultimately shelved after a financial setback at ABC. The network ultimately moved to new, state-of-the-art headquarters in Hudson Square in late 2024. Named the Robert A. Iger Building in honor of Mr. Iger's 50-year legacy with the company, it houses a wide range of Disney's New York City operations (various ABC news functions among them) and aims to serve as a collaborative hub for employees across divisions.
Lincoln Center Listings
15 Central Park West, #29A
$25,000,000
Central Park West | Condominium | 3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths | 3,103 ft2
15 Central Park West, #29A (Corcoran Group)
45 West 70th Street, #TH
$16,400,000
Central Park West | Townhouse | 6+ Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths | 8,550 ft2
45 West 70th Street, # (Nest Seekers LLC)
Park Millennium, #28D (Coleman Real Estate Group)
The Walton, #PH (Compass)
The Grand Millennium, #21AB
$9,845,000
Lincoln Center | Condominium | 5 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths | 4,000 ft2
The Grand Millennium, #21AB (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
200 Amsterdam, #27C (Serhant)
101 Central Park West, #6B (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
2 West 67th Street, #67B (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
The Atelier, #4M (Compass)
65 Central Park West, #11D (Corcoran Group)
2 Columbus Avenue, #35A (Compass)
Lincoln Guild, #18EE (Compass)
The Musician's Building, #67E
$2,195,000
Central Park West | Cooperative | 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths | 1,603 ft2
The Musician's Building, #67E (Olshan Realty Inc)
Lincoln Terrace, #21EF (Keller Williams NYC)
The Bel Canto, #4BCD (Keller Williams NYC)
Element, #18G (Corcoran Group)
3 Lincoln Center, #17B (The Agency Brokerage)
Hudson Condo, #17A (Cooper & Cooper Real Estate LLC)
Lincoln Towers, #26N (Corcoran Group)
Adagio, #8A (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
40 West 67th Street, #3D (Coldwell Banker Warburg)
The Sofia, #16H (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
10 West End Avenue, #4J (Compass)
155W68, #627 (Brown Harris Stevens Development Marketing LLC)
Lincoln Towers, #26T (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
25 West 64th Street, #9B (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
Nevada Towers, #29G (Compass)
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
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Or call us at (212) 755-5544
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