LA Attractions: The Walt Disney Concert Hall

Above the Second Street Tunnel where it cuts under Bunker Hill sits a beautiful stainless steel structure resembling sheets of sheet music blowing in the wind.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue has been an iconic LA Landmark since it opened in 2003.  Seating 2.265 people, it was designed by Frank Gehry and is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center.  The Music Center (officially the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County) is comprised of four halls: the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Ahmanson Theater, the Mark Taper Forum and last the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Walt Disney’s widow, Lillian Disney made an initial gift of $50 million in 1987 to build the Walt Disney Concert Hall as a gift to the people of Los Angeles and a tribute to Disney’s devotion to the arts and the city. Both Gehry’s architecture and the acoustics of the concert hall have been highly praised.

Though the initial donation made was $50 million, theproject cost $274 million by the time was completed in 2003.  It currently is the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, presenting the best in classical music, contemporary music, world music and jazz.

If you visit to Los Angeles takes you to downtown LA, you might just want to add this to your places to see in LA bucket list!  The architecture is a masterpiece as is the symphony.  But you don’t have to wait for a concert to see it.  Self guided tours of the Concert Hall are available  They are offered most days between 10 am and 2 pm.  For individual guests of groups up to 14 people, the tours are complimentary.  The tours last approximately 60 minutes.  Visit the Self Guided Tours page of their website for more info and call (213) 972-7483 to reserve a tour.