Jazz at Lincoln Center to Redesing, A Lead Gift by Mica Ertegun

But the public spaces at Rose Hall have always felt like an afterthought, the rare part of the facility put together without an aesthetic. “We focused on building the greatest possible performance venues for the sound and feeling of jazz,” Wynton Marsalis, the organization’s artistic director, said in a statement. “We lifted far, far above our weight and got the House of Swing opened, but we didn’t raise enough to realize a vision for the atrium and interstitial spaces.”

The renovation was made possible through a lead gift by Mica Ertegun, whose husband Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records, was a board member with Jazz at Lincoln Center from its establishment until his death in 2006.

The Ertegun Atrium, as it is to be renamed, will feature improved visibility of Columbus Circle and a terrace with room for small ensembles and cafe seating. Two new glass staircases will be installed to improve the flow between the hall’s two floors. And the Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame — named for Ahmet’s brother and business partner, who died in 1989 — will be remade as a more interactive experience by Local Projects, which designed the media interfaces at the Sept. 11 Memorial Museum.

The designer at large for the project is Ennead Architects, which has renovated other leading arts spaces in New York, including Carnegie Hall, City Center and Symphony Space. Several years ago the firm redesigned the lobby, facade and entrance of the Public Theater.

Jazz at Lincoln Center programming will take a hiatus during the renovation, with the exception of Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, which will operate with only brief interruptions. Details for the 2015-16 season will be announced later this month. (By NATE CHINEN, NYT)