LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.- The Walt Disney Concert Hall opened in Los Angeles. Lillian B. Disney paid heed to critics and concert goers who have heard the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the great halls of Europe and at home in Los Angeles when they said that to hear this orchestra at its best, was to hear it at a site other than the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Recognizing this irony, she made a landmark gift of $50 million to the Music Center, Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County in May 1987 to build a world-class concert hall for the city that had "done so much" for her and her late husband, Walt.

Mrs. Disney attached no restrictions to her gift - only the hope that the concert hall would reflect the culture and character of Southern California, remain accessible to the entire community, boast lovely and inviting garden areas, and offer acoustical perfection for the enjoyment of music.

While Mrs. Disney provided the inspiration and resources to initiate the dream of a new concert hall for Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles demonstrated a profound commitment to the dream by providing the land for the concert hall site and significant additional funding to finance the hall’s subterranean parking garage.

Further, the County worked with the concert hall’s construction leadership to establish a set of exacting standards for the concert hall’s completion, and demonstrated an unflagging commitment to the hall’s realization. In addition, the County committed to creating a more pedestrian friendly environment along Grand Avenue with the Grand Avenue Pedestrian Improvement Project.

A theatre for CalArts was added to the project in 1997 as part of the historic gifts from The Walt Disney Company and Roy E. and Patty Disney. The 3,000 square foot Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theatre (REDCAT) will be located at the southwest corner of Walt Disney Concert Hall complex at Second and Hope Streets, and will feature a performance space that seats 266 and a spacious art gallery off of the main lobby. Accessible through a separate entrance, the Theatre will retain its own distinct identity while benefiting from its prime location at the Music Center.

CalArts, a multidisciplinary arts school that has produced many of the film industry’s best animators since 1971, was conceived by Walt Disney at about the same time Dorothy Buffum Chandler formed Music Center. A founding board member of the Center, Walt Disney actually discussed the idea of building CalArts at the downtown site, however he ultimately settled in Valencia as the home for the school. Since then, CalArts has sought a presence in downtown Los Angeles and, thanks to the Disney Company and Roy Disney gifts, it has found a home at Walt Disney Concert Hall.