12 Mind-Blowing Things You Never Knew About Walt Disney Concert Hall (Until Now)

The Walt Disney Concert Hall (WDCH)

Shining in the Los Angeles skyline, sits Frank Gehry’s masterpiece.

Since 2003, this place has been the heart of Downtown LA’s cultural scene. But there’s so much more to discover beyond those gleaming walls.

From hidden gardens to quirky design stories, here are 13 fascinating secrets that will change how you see this incredible place next time you visit.

Gehry Designed It Years Before The Famous Guggenheim Bilbao

Most people think Frank Gehry copied his Guggenheim museum design but WDCH actually came before the Bilbao Guggenheim. Gehry got the job in 1988 and finalized the design by 1991, while Bilbao didn’t open until 1997.

The Gigantic Wooden Pipe Organ

Composer Terry Riley called the pipe organ at WDCH “Hurricane Mama.” It houses 6,134 pipes that range from pencil-size to as big as telephone poles. Only 2% of the pipes are actually visible in what many locals call the wooden “French fries.” The whole organ weighs more than 40 metric tons.

Musicians can play it from either the attached console built into its base or a movable console that can be placed in four different spots on stage.

The Building Once Melted Traffic Cones

The shiny steel panels on the building once created an unexpected problem: they generated temperatures up to 138°F on nearby sidewalks. Nearby residents found their apartments getting 15 degrees hotter than normal. Real traffic cones melted near the building.

Engineers solved this by using computer models to find the 883 problem panels, then dulled them with a special sanding process.

The fix itself cost the company about $90,000 in 2005.

There’s a Secret Garden On Top

The Blue Ribbon Garden on top of the concert hall is a hidden one-acre paradise above the busy streets of downtown LA. This peaceful spot has more than 45 flowering trees from six different species that bloom one after another throughout the year.

Six coral trees came from an apartment complex in Marina del Rey, and others were taken directly from Los Angeles homeowners’ yards. You’ll also find over 30 types of flowering shrubs and perennials among the trees.

Look For Hidden Surprises In The Delft Porcelain Fountain

When you visit the garden, take a close look at the “A Rose for Lilly” fountain. The fountain’s name honors the $50 million gift Lillian gave to build the hall.

Artists hid 60 special details among thousands of blue porcelain fragments. Find artist initials, fun drawings, and even a single picture of Frank Gehry himself.

The artists made this fountain from over 200 broken Royal Blue Delft vases as a tribute to Lillian Disney, who loved collecting both authentic and replica Delft porcelain.

Walk Up All The Hidden Staircases Around The Building

There are exactly 366 steps around the outside of the building, including several staircases that most visitors never notice from the street. In one part, you can actually climb behind the steel outer skin of the building. Local residents often use these stairs for exercise.

No Two Steel Panels Are the Same

More than 6,000 panels form the distinctive stainless steel skin. Each of these is a different size, custom-made to create the wavy, flowing lines. Gehry originally wanted to project live concert performances onto the outside of the building, which is why he chose steel instead of titanium.

Inspired by Ships, Not Crumpled Paper

Gehry’s real inspiration for the design of WDCH came from clipper ships and his love of sailing. Look at the steel exterior, it resembles billowing sails on a ship. He describes it as “a wooden boat that takes the orchestra and audience on a journey.”

Some sources say Gehry floated a rumor that the idea came from a crumpled piece of paper, but he denied it many times in real interviews.

No Speakers Or Sound Systems Needed Here

The hall sounds so good it doesn’t need any speakers or amplification. Instead, it uses 133,000 square feet of Douglas fir wood panels. Sound bounces around the room for about 2.2 seconds when empty and 2.0 seconds when full of people.

The floor is made of red oak, while the stage uses Alaskan yellow cedar, the same wood used for drafting cellos and violas. Even the seats are specially designed to mimic how the human body reflects sound.

There Are Two Extra Performance Spaces

Most people only see the main concert hall, but the building also contains BP Hall, a separate performance space that fits 350 people. There’s Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT) inside, with a flexible theater that can seat 200-270 people and a 3000 square-foot exhibition space.

The curved BP Hall created acoustic challenges that were solved by adding tiny holes to the wood paneling with special sound-absorbing material behind them.

Visiting Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2025

Address: 111 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012

This year marks Gustavo Dudamel’s final season as Music & Artistic Director after 17 years with the LA Phil. See artists like Emmanuelle Haim, Iestyn Davies, and Gregory Alan Isakov performing throughout the season.

Some helpful details for your visit: 

• The Box Office is open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 PM (closed on weekends and Mondays) 
• Parking is convenient with 2,400 spaces beneath the hall and escalators that take you directly to the lobby
• Free tours for individuals and groups smaller than 15 people, or $15 per person for larger groups
• No one under 6 is allowed at classical, world music, jazz, or contemporary concerts
• Subscription packages for regular concertgoers start at just $27 per month