Call this a glass act.

The newly-minted Lehman Center for the Performing Arts was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting that hailed the completion of the boxy, glass-exterior concert hall. The timing of the occasion came at the eve of the center’s 40th concert season debut.

Dubbed the borough’s Lincoln Center, the $15.4 million redesign of the three-story venue adds another 5500 square feet of space that went towards a new lobby and restrooms. Guests couldn’t help but look up, admiring the grandiose look of the hall that was built in 1980.

The building’s prior state was somewhat obsolete since it was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), keeping the disabled from enjoying the myriad of acts offered each season. The building is now equipped with walkway ramps and an elevator to the balcony.

“We had to do this construction because we had to make the building ADA compliant. Our architect took it beyond that,” said Eva Bornstein, the center’s long-serving executive director. “He went beyond his duties to make it really special.”

The expanded site earned an endorsement from Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., an alum of Lehman College, where the center is located.

“If you’re from the Boogie Down Bronx, you know that part of our flavor—if there’s one, if not the first major ingredient that’s part of our DNA, a major component—is music,” said Diaz Jr. in his remarks before breaking into hip hop song.

Diaz Jr. allocated $500,000 toward the project, with the Governor’s Office, and city and state legislators representing the Bronx cobbling the rest of the funds needed for the project. Talk of a major overhaul goes back to 2003, the year Bornstein started as the executive director, but was put on hold until all funds were secured. Renovations began in 2017. Monies for the project also went to refurbish the venue’s existing amenities including the 2,278-seat auditorium.

The center’s completion comes amid other gargantuan projects slated for Lehman College, including extensive renovations for the institution’s Leonard Lief Library and a new $75 million, 53,000-square-foot nurse training center. The college’s president, Daniel Lemons, saw the upgrades aligned with the borough’s moment of “significant renewal.”

The center represents one of few concert halls in the Bronx, which attracts musical acts from around the world. It’s also drawn familiar headliners that are not from the music world, including comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

This year, the center attracted Thai Express from India’s Bollywood scene, R&B singer Stephanie Mills, and famed salsero Eddie Palmieri to mark its four-decade milestone.

Finding the center proved tough for folks, which may be eased now that its namesake is emblazoned on the building’s glass enclosure. This may likely ease the frequent question Bornstein’s heard from patrons heading to the center over the years: where is Lehman Center?

“I had to tell them, ‘just follow me,’” said Bornstein. “Now I don’t have to escort them because, I mean, how can you miss it? You can’t miss it.”

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