The document summarizes information about two iconic buildings in Los Angeles - Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Bradbury Building. It provides details on the origins, designs, construction processes, and cultural significance of each building. For the Walt Disney Concert Hall, it describes how the project was conceived and funded, Frank Gehry's design and the challenges during construction. For the Bradbury Building, it outlines how mining millionaire Lewis Bradbury commissioned the building and hired architect George Wyman, and discusses the building's distinctive interior features. Both buildings are recognized for their architectural achievements and contributions to Los Angeles' culture and tourism.

1. PROJECT
W Disney Concert Hall &
alt
Bradbury Building
BYBEN LIM, HEE JU KANG AND OSCAR GUERRERO
DATE CLIENT
JUNE 6, 2012 MR. HALL & MR. D

2. W Disney Concert Hall
alt
Introduction

3. Inspiration
• Idea first conceived by Walt
Disney’s late wife, Lillian Disney in
,
1987.
• She donated $50 million for a
performance venue to honor W alt
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
Lillian Disney stands with W Disney in
alt
intended project. 1941. She was the top contributor to the
project in terms of money.

4. 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
(Top) Frank Gehry, lead Architect of W Disney Concert Hall.
alt
(Bottom) Plans of design for concert hall. financial problems.

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

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Heat Problem
• Soon after itsfinish 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.

10. 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
Gustavo Dudamel is very passionate over his
composing, and now serves as the Music Director of
movie premiers.
the LA Philharmonic Orchestra.

11. Popular Culture
• The W Disney Concert Hall is
alt
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.

12. Preservation
• W think that to preserve the W Disney Concert Hall,
e alt 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.

13. Tourism
• T improve tourism, we feel that
o
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 Visitors can often get lost in the complex exterior structure
of the Hall. Tours should be provided to ensure they don’t
more to include more tourists, vie get lost, and fully appreciate the building.
billboards or commercials.

14. Bradbury Building
Introduction

15. L w Ba b r
e is rd uy
•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, Lewis Bradbury was the one who
wanted the building in the first place.
he wished to build something unlike
any other.

16. G og W m n
e re •y a 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.”
George Wyman was the architect of the
building. Before Bradbury hired him, he •Wyman was able to get an idea of what
was actually considered a poor architect. the building would resemble from the
book, about a utopian society in the
year 2000.

17. C nt c n
o s ut
r io
•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
The early days of the Bradbury building.
passed away, unable to see his
dream building.
•The cost estimate was $175,000.
•Bradbury poured in $500,000.

18. Ac it tr
rhe ue
c
• 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 interior of the building is what makes it so
• The staircases are made of Belgian marble. popular. The beautifully crafted designs are
shined by the skylight.
• The light creates shifting shades and accents.

19. O e T e e tr the
vr h C nuy
•Upon completion,
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
Onlookers watch fire fighters battle the
Chaplin that was put in the
fire of the Bradbury Building in 1947. building.

20. Tdy
oa
•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.

21. P p l C lr
o u r uue
a t
•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 &
As seen in (Top) Blade Runner, and (Bottom) The Artist. Fire, and more.

22. •Several
Peevtn
rsr io
a
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.

23. T uis
o rm
•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.

24. Sa m n o L an g
t e e t f erin
t
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.

25. B lga h
ib rp y
io
• "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>.

26. THE END