The Walt Disney Concert Hall opened in 2003.
Located in downtown Los Angeles, the hall was designed by architect Frank Gehry as the fourth major venue of the Los Angeles Music Center. Its inaugural events began in October 2003, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic making it its home; the hall’s listed opening date is 23 October 2003.
The project began with a major 1987 gift from Lillian Disney, who wanted to honor Walt Disney’s devotion to music and Los Angeles. Fundraising and design changes delayed construction, and groundbreaking for the hall itself finally took place in December 1999. The building was completed in 2003 after a long planning process.
A common mix-up is confusing the 2003 opening with the earlier completion of the underground parking garage, which was finished in 1996. Another is mistaking the shiny exterior for its original design: cost-saving revisions replaced a planned stone exterior with stainless steel.