PROJECT

DATE CLIENTJUNE 6, 2012

MR. HALL & MR. D

Walt Disney Concert Hall &Bradbury BuildingBY BEN LIM, HEE JU KANG AND OSCAR GUERRERO

Walt Disney Concert HallIntroduction

Inspiration•Idea first conceived by Walt Disney’s late wife, Lillian Disney, in 1987.

•She donated $50 million for a performance venue to honor Walt Disney’s love for the arts.

•Money to finance the institution was collected to total $100 million, particularly from the Disney family.

•LA county provided land for the intended project.

Lillian Disney stands with Walt Disney in 1941. She was the top contributor to the project in terms of money.

Planning•Frank Gehry was chosen to design the building in 1988.

•By 1991, he unveiled his plans of the design of the building.

•The parking garage was the first part that was worked on.

•Construction of parking garage started in 1992, and was completed by 1996.

•Construction for the building did not actually start until later from financial problems.(Top) Frank Gehry, lead Architect of Walt Disney

Concert Hall.(Bottom) Plans of design for concert hall.

First Problems•The reason why construction was delayed was from lack of funds.

•The initial budget was not sufficient for the project.

•However, fundraising started back up again in 1996.

•The delay of construction caused financial problems to the city.

•LA planned to have money returned from use of parking garage.

•But since the concert hall was not actually opened until 2003, no revenue came.

Eli Broad (Top), and then mayor of LA, Richard Riordan (Bottom), led the fundraising campaign of the concert hall.

Construction

•Construction for the actual Concert Hall did not actually start until 1999, in November.

•Groundbreaking for the hall was held in December of the same year.

•The project was not completed until 2003, and was opened on October 23rd that year.

•Altogether it cost $274 million, the parking garage costing $110 million.Different stages of construction of

the hall.

Acoustics•The Hall was completed in the Summer, but the Philharmonic Orchestra used the fall to adjust to the Concert room.

•Their time was spent wisely as they played better than ever, ever able to detect notes that were wrong in pieces they played.

•The Hall also features a concert organ that was designed by Frank Gehry and built by Caspar Glatter-Götz, under the supervision of Manuel Rosales, sound designer.

(Top) Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra performing at their finest. (Bottom) the famous concert organ.

Architecture and Other Facts

•The building’s exterior is composed of stainless steel that has a matte finish.

•For the interior, the walls and ceiling are made of Douglas-Fir.

•The floor is made of Oak.•The architectural style is deconstructivism.

•Reverberation time of the hall is practically 2 seconds.

•The Hall can seat 2,256 people.•Ticket prices range from $69 to $500.A map of the interior of the Concert Hall,

and its seating.

Heat Problem

•Soon after its finish in 2003, the Hall received much criticism from its steel, mirror-like panels.

•The reflections of the panels generated heat to the surrounding buildings.

•Rooms in those buildings had to waste a lot of money on Air Conditioning to counter the heat.

•Side walks nearby sometimes reached temperatures of 140 degrees.

•The problem was fixed when the building identified the trouble causing panels with a computer system, and then sanded them down.

A close look at the troublesome panels.

Today •Today, the Hall is revered as one of the most exclusive, top class musical venues in the world.

•The Hall has housed famous artists and composers like Gustavo Dudamel, John Adams, Herbie Hancock, and of course, Richard An who attends CV.

•Several orchestras also perform, most notably the LA Philharmonic.

•The Hall has a very open program with youth, and allows children from all over to learn and perform there, like Richard.

•The Hall also hosts famous events like movie premiers.

Gustavo Dudamel is very passionate over his composing, and now serves as the Music Director of the LA Philharmonic Orchestra.

Popular Culture•The Walt Disney Concert Hall is also featured prominently in movies, and television.

•Movies that hold the Hall are Iron Man, Get Smart, Alvin & The Chipmunks, as well as The Soloist.

•It’s been used for American Idol, NUMB3RS, and 24.

•It was even used in Midnight Club: Los Angeles, the video game.

(Top) As seen in Get Smart, (Middle) The Soloist and (Bottom) Iron Man.

Preservation•We think that to preserve the Walt Disney Concert Hall, it should do everything possible to keep its neighbors, guests, and performers as happy as possible, like it did with the metal panels.

•The Hall should be awarded with a certification of National Historic Landmark, like the Bradbury Building, to ensure it is not forgotten, and to remember its cultural importance.

•The building should persist being used in popular culture to bring more awareness, and awe of its incredible architecture.

•The history of the building should also become better known, to show how the building is historically important.

Tourism•To improve tourism, we feel that tours should be provided.

•This way, tourists don’t get lost, and have a clear and full understanding of the building’s composition.

•A history of the building should also be provided in tours, or somewhere in the building.

•The building should also publicize more to include more tourists, vie billboards or commercials.

Visitors can often get lost in the complex exterior structure of the Hall. Tours should be provided to ensure they don’t get lost, and fully appreciate the building.

Bradbury BuildingIntroduction

Lewis Bradbury•Lewis Bradbury was the man who commissioned the Bradbury Building.

•He was a mining millionaire, and later a real estate developer.

•In 1891, he chose to construct a building on the corner of 3rd and Broadway.

•The building would be not far from his home on Bunker Hill, a few blocks away.

•Bradbury was sick and senile. Knowing his time on earth was short, he wished to build something unlike any other.

Lewis Bradbury was the one who wanted the building in the first place.

George Wyman•Initially, Bradbury solicited Sumner Hunt to be the architect.

•However, Hunt’s plans were not what he expected, and he was disappointed.

•George Wyman, one of Hunt’s draftsmen, was then selected when he was 32 years old.

•Wyman was convinced after a ouija board (of sorts) told him the building would make him famous.

•Wyman drew inspiration from Edward Bellamy’s sci-fi book, “Looking Forward.”

•Wyman was able to get an idea of what the building would resemble from the book, about a utopian society in the year 2000.

George Wyman was the architect of the building. Before Bradbury hired him, he was actually considered a poor architect.

Construction•The Bradbury Building was built in 1893, opening the same year.

•Several problems were met during construction, however.

•A spring was found below the foundation.

•In response, Bradbury imported steel rails from Europe for the needed reinforcement.

•By the time construction was completed, Lewis Bradbury had passed away, unable to see his dream building.

•The cost estimate was $175,000.

•Bradbury poured in $500,000.

The early days of the Bradbury building.

Architecture•The style of architecture that George Wyman used was Italian Renaissance Revival and Romanesque Revival.

•The exterior is composed of brown brick, sandstone, and terra cotta panels.

•The building itself is 5 stories tall.

•The exterior is nothing compared to the interior.

•A glass roof fill the central court with daylight. Offices and grillwork, caged elevators surround the court.

•Ornately designed cast-iron railings are found all over, giving the impression of hanging vegetation.

•The walls are made of pale brick, while the floor is composed of mexican tiles.

•The staircases are made of Belgian marble.

•The light creates shifting shades and accents.

The interior of the building is what makes it so popular. The beautifully crafted designs are shined by the skylight.

Over The Century•Upon completion, the Bradbury building became instantly popular.

•It was used mainly as an office site.

•On May 3rd, 1947, a fire broke out inside the building in the fifth floor.

•It cost $8,000 to $10,000 in damages.

•In 1989, Emmanuil Snitkovsky made a sculpture of Charlie Chaplin that was put in the building.Onlookers watch fire fighters battle

the fire of the Bradbury Building in 1947.

Today•The Bradbury Building still remains an office building for the most part.

•It’s occupied by Sprint, Subway, the LAPD’s Internal Affairs division, Red Line Tours, Ross Cutlery, and several private offices.

•From 2001 to 2003, it was occupied by the A+D Museum, which featured architecture and design.

•The Charlie Chaplin sculpture still remains, sitting on his bench, for a great photo opportunity.

(Top) Subway at the side of the building, and (Bottom) a Sprint phone store on the corner.

Popular Culture•The Bradbury Building is featured in several films.

•Films include Blade Runner, (500) Days of Summer, The Artist, and several others.

•It is most prominent in Blade Runner, as the climactic rooftop scene was filmed there.

•The first time it was seen in film was in The White Cliffs of Dover, in 1944.

•The building can also be found in music videos by Heart, Janet Jackson, Genesis, Earth, Wind & Fire, and more.

As seen in (Top) Blade Runner, and (Bottom) The Artist.

Preservation• Several efforts have been made in order to preserve the

Bradbury Building.• In 1991, the Yellin company had the building undergo a complete

restoration as part of its Grand Central Square project.• The architect in charge of restoration was Brenda Levin.• The restoration allowed the building to meet the building codes

of California, particularly earthquake codes.• In 1977, the building was certified as a National Historic

Landmark.• Our group believes that to preserve the Bradbury Building, it

must be renovated every so often to make it more secure after years of standing, without changing the classical elements of the building.

• We think that by spreading awareness and tourism of the building, more efforts would be made to preserve it, and make sure it remains one of LA’s most beautiful pieces of architecture.

• We also feel that it should keep on being included in popular culture to support its legacy.

Tourism•The Bradbury Building is naturally a very popular tourist spot, open for visitors of all ages, daily.

•A government worker provides tours, and information on the building.

•Our group feels that to help tourism, visitors should be allowed to access the upper floors, as only the first floor is accessible.

•Access to the upper floors would allow better appreciation of the architecture and full experience of the building, for tourists to love.

•A map of the building and surrounding buildings would also help tourism.

Statement of Learning

During our research, we learned about two of the most significant buildings in Los Angeles, and their contributions to the world of Architecture, and Culture. These buildings, although from very different time periods, illustrate the beauty of architecture and how the human mind can create pieces of art from wood, brick and steel. The knowledge we learned is invaluable, as we get to fully appreciate these buildings. From their history, and all of their information, we can say that we now love LA a little more.

Bibliography•"About Walt Disney Concert Hall." LA Phil. Los Angeles

Philharmonic Association, 2012. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/wdch-overview.cfm>.

•"Walt Disney Concert Hall." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 Mar. 2012. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall>.

•An, Richard. Personal interview. June 3, 2012.•"BRADBURYBUILDING.INFO." BRADBURYBUILDING.INFO.

Web. 05 June 2012. <http://www.bradburybuilding.info/>.

•"Bradbury Building, 1893: A History." Web. 5 June 2012. <http://www.publicartinla.com/Downtown/Broadway/Bradbury/brad_hist.html>.

• "BRADBURY BUILDING." Los Angeles Conservency. Web. 5 June 2012. <http://www.laconservancy.org/tours/downtown/bradbury.php>.

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