October 2003 - Walt Disney Concert Hall Opens in Downtown L.A.

Los Angeles' architectural history reached a new milestone on October 24, 2003 when the Walt Disney Concert Hall opened to the public.

Initially derided by some for its Deconstructivist design, its aesthetics were soon embraced by the masses as a unique landmark and cultural jewel. The City of Angels finally laid claim to an iconic performing arts venue akin to Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center or Sydney, Australia's landmark Opera House.

The concept began in 1987 when Lillian Disney, widow of animation and theme park icon Walt Disney gifted $50 million to build a fourth performing arts venue in downtown L.A.'s Music Center to complex benefit the public and to honor her late husband's love of the arts. The Canadian-born, USC-educated, Santa Monica-based architect, Frank Gehry, was commissioned to design the structure, which evokes the sails of a clipper ship.

The project's timeline was stretched to 16 years due partly to the real estate depression of the mid-1990s and the need to raise more funds due to increased construction costs -- so much that Gehry's similarly-designed Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain opened six years prior, despite being commissioned after Disney Hall.

The $274 million stainless steel-clad structure on 1st Street and Grand Avenue serves as the indoor home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, as well as other music and performing arts events. The 2,265-seat venue's acclaimed acoustics were designed by Japanese acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota. In 2004, a 6,125-pipe concert organ was installed at the concert hall, designed by Gehry and organ consultant Manuel Rosales. The instrument was donated as a gift by Torrance-based Toyota Motor Sales, USA.