Development Team
Owner
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles, California
www.lacounty.info
Developer
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Inc.
Los Angeles, California
Operator
The Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County
Los Angeles, California
www.musiccenter.org
Architect
Gehry Partners, LLP
Los Angeles, California
Structural Engineer
John A. Martin & Associates
Los Angeles, California
www.johnmartin.com
Acoustical Engineer
Nagata Acoustics, Inc.
Santa Monica, California
www.nagata.co.jp
Project Data
Web Site
http://wdch.laphil.com/wdch
Site Area
3.6 acres (1.5 hectares)
Building Area
293,000 square feet (27,220 square meters)
Land Uses
A 2,265-seat concert hall; the 266-seat Roy and Edna
Disney/CalArts Theater; a 41,000-square-foot (3,809-square-meter) garden
with outdoor program areas; restaurants and catering facilities; and
parking for 2,191 cars
Completion Date
June 2003 |
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles, California
An inspiring example of what can be created when public agencies and
private partners join together to pursue a complex and ambitious goal,
the Walt Disney Concert Hall was launched in May 1987, when Lillian B.
Disney made a $50 million gift in honor of her late husband Walt
Disney-at the time, the largest cash donation in the history of
art philanthropy-to the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles
(more commonly known as "the Music Center") for a new
concert hall for the Los Angeles Philharmonic symphony orchestra. Mrs.
Disney stipulated that the concert hall must be "acoustically
magnificent" and that the building must be open and accessible.
The $274 million Frank Gehry-designed concert hall was completed
in June 2003, dedicated on October 20, 2003, and debuted at a gala
opening three days later.
Gehry won the international design competition in 1988 for the
concert hall with a bold design that featured sweeping exterior waves
and an interior with sail-like wooden forms arching across the ceiling
and sides of the 360-degree auditorium. Los Angeles County provided the
land for the development and bond funding for the garage. In 1992,
ground was broken for the garage, meeting a condition in the original
agreement with the county that constructioon begin within five years
ofthe initial gift. Three years later, however, the project was
suspended because of budget and funding concerns. An independent
evaluation determined that completing the project, while possible, would
require an extraordinary design and engineering effort as well as a new
budget.
The county worked through a morass of seemingly insurmountable
challenges with civic and arts leaders, volunteers, architects,
engineers, contractors, and more than 2,000 private donors to produce a
stunning building that has become a truly public space, a "living
room" for the city of Los Angeles and a catalyst for downtown
revitalization. More than 50,000 visitors have toured the hall since
formal, guided tours began in December 2003, and the hall's two
resident companies, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles
Master Chorale, have increased both the number of annual performances
and the number of attendees at those performances since they moved
in.
"This project is the largest and most important public/private
undertaking ever in Los Angeles," says Stuart M. Ketchum,
president, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Inc. "Located in downtown Los
Angeles, it has confirmed the Music Center as one of the most important
cultural centers in the country. In addition, the Walt Disney Concert
Hall has become a major icon and tourist attraction. This project
overcame many challenges in funding, engineering, design, and
construction. All of the foregoing make me very proud to have played a
role in its development over the past 15 years."
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