The Egg (building)

The Egg is a performing arts venue in Albany, New York. Named for its shape, the building was designed by Harrison & Abramovitz as part of the Empire State Plaza project, and built between 1966 and 1978. It is located in the northeast corner of the Plaza. It has become an icon of New York's Capital District due to its unusual shape and central location.

Structure

The Egg is slightly inclined, and has a small pedestal on which it appears to sit. In fact, the building is held by a stem that goes down six stories into the Plaza. Attached to this stem is a concrete girdle that surrounds The Egg, enabling it to retain its shape and transmitting its weight to the pedestal. The building's organic shape reflects Nelson Rockefeller's original goal of architectural design that uses the fine artistic elements of sculpture.

The Egg houses two theaters, the 450-seat Lewis A. Swyer Theatre and the 982-seat Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre. It draws many performing acts to Albany, including music, dance, and traditional stage presentations; formerly, it was the venue for the now-defunct Albany summer stock company.

In popular culture

The Egg is the subject of a song by They Might Be Giants, entitled "Albany", which was written for their 2004 Venue Songs compilation album.

In 2013, Mike Gordon of Phish released a live album titled The Egg. The album was recorded live on December 11, 2011 at The Egg.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "The Egg Architecture & History". Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center Corporation. Retrieved 2008-07-06. 
2. ^ Benjamin, Gerald; Hurd, T. Norman, eds. (1984). "The Builder". Rockefeller in Retrospect: The Governor's New York Legacy. Albany, NY: Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Govt. p. 90. ISBN 0-914341-01-4. OCLC 11770290. 
3. ^ Flansburgh, John (2008-04-16). "Talking with They Might Be Giants' John Flansburgh about The Egg". All Over Albany interview. Retrieved 2012-09-17. 
4. ^ "Mike Gordon 'The Egg' Available Now". Mike-Gordon.com. 2013-04-22. Retrieved 2013-02-25. 

External links

• The Egg home page
• Media related to The Egg (building) at Wikimedia Commons