The goals of the renovation were portrayed in theatrical terms: “At a performance venue, the show should begin on the sidewalk. We’re going to have a welcoming new canopy over the street entrance, with the Kaufman name on it big enough to be visible from both Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. We will transform the arrival experience and brighten it up with vivid fire-red marble—everything from coat-checking to buying your refreshments to finding your seat will take place in a more glamorous setting, so that Merkin Hall and the Kaufman Center can become more indelibly stamped on the New York mind than ever before.”