Longtime music and movie executive David Geffen just spent quite a bit of money to leave an even greater legacy than he already is. Geffen has promised $100 million to Lincoln Center, the central location for much of New York City’s high-art experiences. As part of the deal, the Center will rename Avery Fisher Hall to David Geffen Hall this coming September.
The enormous gift is to help with renovations that the Hall needs. The New York Times reports that these renovations are expected to cost more than half a billion dollars, and that they won’t even be starting for at least another four years or so.
In an interview at Lincoln Center with the New York Times recently, Geffen underlined how important this donation was to him. “I’m a kid from Brooklyn — it’s a big deal,” he said. “I watched them build this building.”
Avery Fisher Hall from the inside.
While $100 million is a nice chunk of change, Geffen has a net worth of just under $7 billion, so he’s probably still doing alright. Geffen made his money first by starting several record labels, including Asylum Records and later Geffen Records. In his decades-long career in the music industry, he helped bring talents like Bob Dylan, the Eagles, and Joni Mitchell to prominence. After many years in the music industry, Geffen sold his namesake label and co-founded Dreamworks SKG with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, which helped pad his already-impressive fortune.