The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, one of the Bronx’s premier entertainment venues which last year completed a $15.4 million renovation project, has won a 2020 American Architecture Award for design excellence.

The Center was one of 130 international winners across 43 countries selected by a jury of Greek architects and educators organized by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The awards are one of the nation’s most comprehensive public programs that promote the best new American architectural design worldwide.

Designed by New York City firm, Michielli + Wyetzner Architects, the renovation injected new life into the 1970's brutalist structure. Begun in November 2017, the project took less than two years to complete. It includes a new, glazed entrance pavilion, which added 6,000 square feet of additional program spaces including an expanded box office, administrative offices, restrooms and support spaces.

The transparent glass pavilion addition contrasts with the existing building’s opaque, limestone façade allowing views of the activities within the building and giving the structure a more welcoming and open appearance.

With 2,276 seats, the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is the largest entertainment venue in the Bronx and is considered one of New York City’s best live music stages. It opened its doors with a mission to provide borough residents and others with access to affordable, culturally diverse performances.

For 2020, the awards featured works include new skyscrapers, museums, performing arts centers, libraries, colleges and schools, religious structures, memorials, art galleries, sports facilities, hospitals, transportation centers, bridges, parks, and landscape architecture from cities across the United States and the world.