Walt Disney Concert Hall Architect
Interview by mark swed.
Walt disney concert hall architect. The walt disney concert hall designed by the architect frank gehry opened in 2003 after many years of gestation. After receiving much acclaim for his titanium building in bilbao however he was urged to change the stone to metal. It was designed by frank gehrya a canadian born american architect. Walt disney concert hall is the fourth hall of the los angeles music center one of the largest performing arts centers in the united states.
It opened on october 24 2003. The walt disney concert hall at 111 south grand avenue in downtown los angeles california is the fourth hall of the los angeles music center and was designed by frank gehry. The sequel but kamin clarified the chronology and was even moved to call the completed hall a musical ark with silver sails that dance in the bright blue california sky john morris dixon. Bounded by hope street grand avenue and 1st and 2nd streets it seats 2 265 people and serves among other purposes as the home of the los angeles philharmonic orchestra and the los angeles master chorale.
Disney concert hall architect. The idea was to create a reference point for music art and architecture which position the city of los angeles in the cultural level. Architect of the guggenheim museum in bilbao. Architect frank gehry discusses the creation of walt disney concert hall.
In 1987 lilian disney donated 50 million to establish a concert hall in honor of her late husband walt. Architect who co designed prague s dancing house. The hall is a compromise between a vinyard style seating configuration like the ber. With this new material gehry was able to tweak the shape of the exterior creating the iconic silver sails we see today.
Designer of spain s guggenheim museum. Gehry aimed to do something similar but for cultural rather than political reasons. As architecture critic blair kamin wrote in the chicago tribune it was easy for the completed disney to be perceived as bilbao. While the concert hall was suffering delays gehry s guggenheim museum in bilbao which was designed about the same time was completed in 1997 six years before disney.
In architect frank gehry s original design walt disney concert hall was intended to be clad in stone. Designed by architect frank gehry walt disney concert hall new home of the los angeles philharmonic is designed to be one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world providing both visual and aural intimacy for an unparalleled musical experience.