David H. Koch Theater

The story

The David H. Koch Theater was built not for ballet but for a World's Fair. New York State funded it as part of its cultural contribution to the 1964–1965 World's Fair, and Philip Johnson and John Burgee designed it. It opened on April 23, 1964, and the New York City Ballet has called it home ever since. The New York City Opera shared the stage for nearly five decades before departing in 2011. Renamed to honor philanthropist David Koch, it still anchors the south side of Lincoln Center's main plaza.