The Egg Performing Arts Center 5.96

The construction of The Egg - the Empire State Plaza's Center for the Performing Arts - began in 1966 and was completed twelve years later in 1978. It was designed by architect Wallace K. Harrison, who can count among his many accomplishments including Lincoln Center, Rockefeller Center, and the United Nations Headquarters. Legend has it that the unusual shape of the building was inspired by a breakfast meeting Mr. Harrison had with Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. The Governor, who readily admitted that he had “an edifice complex,” explained that he wanted the building to have an unusual design that would contrast with all of the horizontal and vertical lines of the other buildings. The Governor then placed half of a grapefruit on top of his teacup and suggested that Mr. Harrison create the building in that shape.

Architecturally, The Egg is without precedent. From a distance it seems as much a sculpture as a building. Though it appears to sit on the main platform, the stem that holds The Egg actually goes down six stories deep into the Earth. The Egg keeps its shape by wearing a girdle - a heavily reinforced concrete beam that was poured along with the rest of the shell. This beam helps transmit The Egg's weight onto the supporting pedestal and gives the structure an ageless durability that belies its nickname. The Egg houses two theatres, the 980 seat Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre and the 450 seat Lewis A. Swyer Theatre.

From 1978 through 1989, The Egg housed the New York State Theatre Institute and the Empire State Institute for Performing Arts. In 1989, The Egg’s focus turned to presenting the finest performing artists from across the state of New York, the United States and around the world in a diverse series of dance, music, theatre and family programming.