Walt Disney Concert Hall
A stainless-steel concert hall with sweeping, sail-like curves designed by Frank Gehry. It is the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and its exterior and rooftop garden are free to visit.
Walt Disney Concert Hall sits on Grand Avenue in Bunker Hill, downtown Los Angeles. Opened in 2003 and designed by Pritzker Prize winner Frank Gehry, its billowing stainless-steel curves look like sails catching the wind, making it the most recognizable modern building in Los Angeles. It is also the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The exterior, the staircases and walkways that wrap around the building, and the second-floor rooftop garden (the Blue Ribbon Garden, which features a rose fountain Gehry made from Delft ceramic tiles) are open free of charge. On non-performance mornings, you can join a free audio tour or a scheduled guided tour to learn about the acoustics of the hall, which was designed by Yasuhisa Toyota and is widely regarded as one of the finest “vineyard-style” concert halls in the world. To see the interior, your best bet is to buy a concert ticket, which starts at around $30. The concert season runs from September to June each year. Getting there: take the Metro A or E Line to Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill station, and the building is right across from it. The Broad contemporary art museum is directly opposite, and Grand Central Market, Angels Flight railway, and The Last Bookstore are all within walking distance. Note: the exterior can be intensely glary on sunny afternoons. Some downtown blocks are only moderately safe at night, so after a performance it is best to take a ride straight back.
Opening hours
Exterior and rooftop garden approx. 10:00–17:00 (varies with performances); check the website for tour schedules
Nearby sights
- The Broad
- Grand Central Market
- Little Tokyo
- Olvera Street
- Dodger Stadium
- California Science Center
- Hollywood Forever Cemetery
- Griffith Observatory