One of Frank Gehry’s most well-known works, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is now considered an architectural keystone of downtown Los Angeles, and achieved that status soon after it opened in 2003.⁣

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As a gift to the city that became such an integral part of her husband Walt’s entertainment empire, Lillian Disney donated $50million to the city of LA in 1987 for the construction of a performance venue, with Gehry as the immediate frontrunner to design the building. In 1991 Gehry submitted his design in a series of paper models and sketches. While these look largely similar to the completed building, the original vision was actually clad in concrete instead of the signature stainless steel facade that currently sweeps around the geometry of the building. Building began later that year, but rising costs caused extensive delays.⁣

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After Gehry’s work for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao was showcased in 1997, the decision was made to also clad the Concert Hall in a similar material - much to the dismay of Gehry - but to critics and visitors alike the consensus was hugely positive, with particular attention drawn to the incredible acoustics of the concert hall and the incredible play of light against the steel cladding in the Southern Californian sun.⁣