By Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
LINCOLN CENTER — Lincoln Center's famous Revson fountain is spraying once again.
The 45-year-old Manhattan icon, which had been turned off for a year and a half for a facelift, was turned back on Thursday morning.
"New Yorkers say, 'Meet me at the fountain,'" said Lincoln Center president Reynold Levy at the unveiling. "Now they have a brand-new fountain to meet at."
The new and improved fountain is part of a $1.2 billion renovation of Lincoln Center. Diller Scofido and Renfro, the architectural firm responsible for the Highline, designed the new fountain. They changed the black granite surrounding it from a solid piece to a slim, raised ring.
"It has the appearance of floating in the air," Levy said.
But the most dramatic change to the fountain is how it sprays. The water's movement was choreographed by the firm responsible for the impressive Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas. The fountain now features hundreds of different nozzles. Some spray frothy white water; others make a low booming noise as they propel streams 40 feet into the air.
"I'm really impressed with its presence," architect Jeremy Boon-Bordenave, 32, said. "You think of water as having an ethereal quality but this has a real presence. It really defines this space."
The fountain has been prominently featured in movies like "The Producers," "Annie Hall" and "Ghostbusters."
"This fountain has been spot for engagements, proposals of marriage, and weddings," Levy said. "But we've never had a single documented divorce."
The fountain will start each day in a less dramatic mode. Throughout the day, the streams of water will increase, eventually culminating in what Ron Austin, Executive director of Lincoln center Development Project, calls the pre-curtain show — a seven to 10 minute dramatic display of water.
"Much like the Met raises the chandelier to signal the start of the performance, the fountain's pre-curtain show will tell people it's time for them to head inside for the show to begin," said Austin.
Fans of the renovated fountain warn not to rush inside too quickly.
"It's like a long symphony," Boon-Bordenave said. "You've got to see the whole thing to appreciate the fireworks at the end. "
