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Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center

New York, NY

Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, Amphitheater 14

Cultural

What if there was a world of film below Lincoln Center?

A state-of-the-art theater for film screenings and discussion found its home in an underused parking garage space. Part of Lincoln Center’s 16-acre redevelopment project, the venue dramatically expanded the Film Society’s capacity for programming and education.

Client
Lincoln Center
Project Category
Cultural
Selected Awards
AIANY Design Awards, Citation, Interior Architecture
Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, Exterior 01
Visitors walking are welcomed into a street-level lobby, designed to be an informal and inviting space that makes the theater’s programming feel accessible to everyone. A 90-foot-long glass frontage wall was designed with Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

“It’s intended to be Lincoln Center’s public living room for watching movies.”

David Rockwell
In a nod to the space’s previous incarnation, a 16-foot-wide folding garage door opens the amphitheater to the lobby to make it feel welcoming.

A public amphitheater becomes visible to all who pass by.

Opening the garage door lets passers-by on the street see the amphitheater stage.

Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, Amphitheater 01
Elinor Bunin Monroe Film center invites you in with its welcoming glow and street-level entrance.
The café is a casual meeting place for early-morning meetings or dinner and a movie.
Sidestepping underground obstacles, two screening rooms are nestled deep within the space.
Hundreds of LED lights are embedded flush with the ground to create a sparkling carpet.