Huge cultural complex (opened 1971) in Washington, D.C., with a total of six stages, designed by Edward Durell Stone. The complex, surfaced in marble, makes use of the ornamental facade screens for which the architect was known. The three main theaters are entered from the Grand Foyer, which faces the Potomac River. The Concert Hall, the largest auditorium, has been designated a national monument; its acoustics are considered exceptional, and its embossed ceiling and crystal chandeliers have been much admired
Travertine-clad cultural complex on the western side of Manhattan (1962-68), built by a board of architects headed by Wallace K. Harrison (1895-1981). The buildings, situated around a plaza with a fountain, are the home of the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet, and the Juilliard School. Harrison himself designed the Metropolitan Opera building, and Eero Saarinen designed the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Philip Johnson's New York State Theater incorporates a Classical facade and a four-story lobby. Johnson also rebuilt Avery Fisher Hall (home of the New York Philharmonic), originally designed by Max Abramovitz, to correct acoustic deficiencies and improve the lobby spaces