Long-Delayed Disney Concert Hall Complex Gets Council’s Approval

After years of negotiations, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved development of the $500-million Walt Disney Concert Hall complex that will be a new home for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Construction of the 9.3-acre complex on Bunker Hill near the downtown Music Center will provide Los Angeles with one of the highest concentrations of cultural facilities in the nation, Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky said.

“It’s taken far too long for this project to come to us,” Yaroslavsky said. “This was the last obstacle that stood in the way.”

Disney Hall Chairman Frederick Nicholas planned to waste no time in reporting the council’s action to the late entertainment giant’s widow, Lillian, who contributed $50 million in 1987 toward construction of the 2,500-seat concert hall.

“I’m going to tell Mrs. Disney the political obstacles have been cleared and we are ready to proceed,” Nicholas said. “She is in her 90s and this is a priority for her.”

Construction of the concert hall--destined to be the centerpiece of the development on county-owned land that will also include a 65-story office tower and performing arts center--had suffered numerous delays in recent years.

Among other things, environmental groups scolded county officials for failing to consider how much the project would cost in traffic congestion and increased water use. Meanwhile, labor policy disputes erupted between the Community Redevelopment Agency and the developer of a 400-room hotel proposed for the site.

The project’s future brightened in February when the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a final environmental impact report for the development, whose benefits were determined to override its potentially adverse impact on transportation and water supply.

In April, the hotel developer dropped out of the project, clearing a path for the project to move forward to the City Council for approval Wednesday.

Work at the site at Grand Avenue and 1st Street is expected to begin late this year, Nicholas said. It will take at least five years, however, to complete construction of the concert hall and an adjacent 2,500-car garage.

The concert hall, which was designed by architect Frank Gehry, will resemble a white flower on the outside and a large nautical vessel inside.

“It will look like a beautiful white rose,” Gehry said, adding, “the delays were a blessing because we got to take our time on this project.”

Construction of the concert hall is expected to cost $100 million, Nicholas said.

“We’ll have $75 million to give to the project,” he said. “The balance will come from the Music Center and the Disney family.”

Mayor Tom Bradley, who has supported the project, praised the council’s action. “I’m pleased all of the elements here have been carefully weighed,” Bradley said, “and I consider the Disney Concert Hall project to be one of the great cultural gems of this city.”

In a related matter, the Council also approved a motion from newly elected 9th District Councilwoman Rita Walters to have the Community Redevelopment Agency create a program to help inner-city children attend performances at the hall.