Nestled between West End and Columbus Avenues from 58th to 70th street, the neighborhood known as San Juan Hill inspired some of the setting for “West Side Story.” It was where pianist James P. Johnson introduced a dance called “The Charleston,” which would go on to sweep the country. It’s where “Shuffle Along,” a musical with an all-Black creative team, debuted before going on to dazzle audiences on Broadway. And for years, San Juan Hill simply was home for a lot of people.
But then, in a process that culminated in the opening of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1962, San Juan Hill was razed in the name of urban renewal.
On Saturday, the history of the lost neighborhood will come to life as Lincoln Center reopens the newly renovated David Geffen Hall with back-to-back performances of “San Juan Hill: A New York Story,” a new work by Trinidad-born trumpeter and composer Etienne Charles. Lincoln Center commissioned the piece, and is presenting it jointly with the New York Philharmonic.