Opera house · 1966 · New York City

Metropolitan Opera House

The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center is the principal home of the Metropolitan Opera, one of the world’s leading opera companies, and stands as a landmark of American cultural architecture on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Designed by Wallace K. Harrison and opened on 16 September 1966, the house seats approximately 3,800 in a vast auditorium framed by five arched windows that illuminate the lobby with its twin Marc Chagall murals — “The Sources of Music” and “The Triumph of Music.” The building replaced the original Metropolitan Opera House on Broadway (1883–1966) and remains the largest opera house in the world by seating capacity.

At a glance

Type: Opera house · performing arts venue
Period: Opened 16 September 1966
Style: Mid-century modern; travertine and glass curtain wall
Location: Lincoln Center, Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York City, USA
Architect: Wallace K. Harrison
Capacity: Approximately 3,800 seats
Coordinates: 40.7730° N, 73.9850° W

Overview

The Metropolitan Opera House anchors the southern end of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the 16-acre campus on the Upper West Side built in the 1960s as a centrepiece of New York’s urban renewal programme. The building’s grand facade of five arched bays — faced in travertine and glazed to reveal the crimson-and-gold interior of the lobby — has become one of the most recognisable images in world opera. Inside, the auditorium is celebrated for its acoustics, its crystal chandeliers that ascend into the ceiling before performances, and the two large Chagall paintings visible from the plaza.

History

The Metropolitan Opera Company was founded in 1883 and occupied a purpose-built house on Broadway and 39th Street for 83 years. Plans for a new home at the proposed Lincoln Center arts campus were developed through the late 1950s, with architect Wallace K. Harrison — also responsible for the UN Secretariat building — leading the design. Construction began in 1962 and the house opened in 1966 with Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra, composed specifically for the occasion. The two Chagall murals, commissioned to flank the main lobby, were installed before the opening and have been integral to the building’s identity ever since.

What you see

The lobby’s soaring arched windows frame the two Chagall paintings on gold leaf backgrounds, visible to pedestrians crossing Lincoln Center Plaza at night. The main auditorium is tiered in the traditional horseshoe configuration, its red plush and gold leaf interior seating nearly 3,800; the Met’s famous crystal chandeliers are slowly raised into the ceiling ceiling as the performance begins. Backstage facilities span 30 stories of stage machinery, making the Met one of the most technically complex opera houses in the world.

Cultural significance

As home to the Metropolitan Opera — which has premiered works by Barber, Corigliano, and many others, and hosted virtually every major operatic singer of the 20th and 21st centuries — the house occupies a unique place in global musical culture. Its Live in HD broadcasts, launched in 2006, reach audiences in cinemas across more than 70 countries, extending the reach of opera performance far beyond New York.

Practical information

Address: 30 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023, USA
Opening hours: Box office open daily; building open during performances and daytime tours — check metopera.org for current schedule
Admission: Performance tickets vary; guided tours available — check metopera.org
Website: metopera.org

Getting there

Take the New York City Subway to 66th Street–Lincoln Center (1 train) on Broadway. The M5, M7, M11, M66, and M104 bus lines also serve Lincoln Center. By car, parking is available in the Lincoln Center garage beneath the campus; the building is located on the Upper West Side between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues at 65th Street.

Sources & resources

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Met, Metropolitan Opera House