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From Daisy Dell to a World-Class Amphitheater

Set within a natural canyon in the Hollywood Hills, the Hollywood Bowl has grown from a quiet hillside into one of the most recognized outdoor performance venues in the world. Its setting and acoustics have drawn generations of audiences, yet its beginnings were far more modest than the grand stage we know today.

In 1919, a quiet canyon known as Daisy Dell was selected for its natural shape and sound qualities. The land required little alteration to serve as an amphitheater, and early efforts focused on shaping the hillside into a place where people could gather for music and community events. What followed was a gradual transformation from open terrain into a structured venue.

The images that follow trace this evolution, showing how a simple hillside became a defining cultural landmark in Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

To better understand how the Hollywood Bowl took shape, it is helpful to look back at the landscape before development began. Prior to grading and expansion, the site existed as a quiet canyon known as Daisy Dell, whose natural form and acoustics inspired its selection as an outdoor gathering place.

Daisy Dell Before Development

Before construction began, the site was a simple canyon with gently sloping hills and natural vegetation. Known as Daisy Dell, it was valued for its quiet setting and favorable acoustics, qualities that made it an ideal location for outdoor performances.

Early visitors recognized that the canyon itself provided the foundation for an amphitheater. With minimal intervention, it could accommodate audiences while preserving the natural character of the landscape. This balance between nature and design would remain a defining feature of the Hollywood Bowl as it evolved over time.

Historical Notes

Although people often think the name Hollywood Bowl refers to the dome-shaped band shell on the stage, it is actually a reference to the natural bowl-shaped area surrounded by the Hollywood Hills formerly known as the Daisy Dell.

The 59 acre Bolton Canyon site was originally purchased in 1919 by the Theatre Arts Alliance Inc. for $47,500 to build a community park and art center. They originally called it "The Park".

Historical Notes

Christine Wetherill Stevenson, president of Theatre Arts Alliance, wanted the Alliance to focus on religious productions such as the Pilgrimage Play. When her partners objected to limiting the site's use to religious productions, she sold them her share of the property and built the theater across the street that became the Pilgrimage Play Theatre (later the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre) to host her show.

Christine Stevenson was an heiress of the Pittsburgh Paint Company. A 32-foot-high steel cross, at 2580 Cahuenga Boulevard was erected in 1923 to the memory of Miss Stevenson.

Historical Notes

In 1921, wooden benches were installed on the natural hillsides of Bolton Canyon for early performances. When the Hollywood Bowl officially opened on July 11, 1922, the audience continued to sit on these benches.

Historical Notes

In 1920, Soprano Anna Ruzena Sprotte and composer/pianist Gertrude Ross trucked in a piano to test the acoustics from a platform at the bottom of the hill to figure out how best to situate the stage. This is the first known performance in Daisy Dell.

In 1920, Community Park and Art Association was established, replacing the Theatre Arts Alliance. Artie Mason Carter, secretary of the Association, led the effort to develop community support of the proposed theatre.

In 1920, the site was first referred to as the "Hollywood Bowl."

Historical Notes:

In 1921, the Los Angeles Philharmonic performed its first Easter Sunrise Service at the Hollywood Bowl site in a program presented from a small wooden platform. Eight-hundred people filled the site’s wooden benches; the rest of the attendees settled themselves on blankets among the hillside’s weeds and grass.

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles Philharmonic played a concert at Daisy Dell on August 28, 1921. Within a year of this photo being taken, the temporary-looking stage those musicians are sitting on will be replaced by the first incarnation of the Hollywood Bowl.*

Historical Notes

The Pilgrimage Amphitheatre was built in 1920. The author, Christine Wetherill Stevenson, believed the rugged beauty of the Cahuenga Pass would provide a dramatic outdoor setting for The Pilgrimage Play. Together with Mrs. Chauncey D. Clark, she purchased this land along with that on which the Hollywood Bowl now sits. A wooden, outdoor amphitheater was built on this site and the play was performed by noted actors every summer from 1920 to 1929, until the original structure was destroyed by a brush fire in October 1929.

In 1976, the Pilgrimage Theatre was renamed the John Anson Ford Theatre in honor of the late L.A. County Supervisor's significant support of the arts.

Historical Notes

Before the establishment of an official season, Daisy Dell (now Hollywood Bowl) was used for presentations of choral programs, pageants, Shakespeare plays, and band concerts. Most of the proceeds were used to fund the Bowl's first concert season.

Historical Notes

On July 11, 1922, with the audience seated on simple wooden benches placed on the natural hillsides of Bolton Canyon, conductor Alfred Hertz and the Los Angeles Philharmonic inaugurated the first season of music under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl. The Bowl was very close to its natural state, with only makeshift wooden benches for the audience, and eventually a simple awning over the stage.

Historical Notes

The first 150 box seats were built in front of the bench seating sections in 1923.

Historical Notes

The Hollywood Bowl has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, since its official opening in 1922. Tickets were 25 cents.

Historical Notes

In 1923, the Hollywood Bowl’s first 150 boxes were built.

Also in 1923, the Hollywood Bowl’s debt was paid off and the mortgage burned on the Bowl’s stage. Among the donors who helped retire the debt were perennial presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, who made a $100 donation.

Historical Notes

With the re-paving of Highland Avenue sure to disrupt the Hollywood Bowl’s season, Bowl leader Artie Mason Carter took to the streets to protest the city’s work. She and another woman manned “battle positions” in rocking chairs (with their knitting) in the middle of Highland Avenue and refused to allow crews to break up the street. The result? Paving was rescheduled for the 1923 Bowl’s off-season.

Historical Notes

In 1924, the Hollywood Bowl land and property was deeded to the County of Los Angeles to safeguard the Bowl for future generations.  The Hollywood Bowl Association was established as the theatre's governing organization.

The main road leading to the Hollywood Bowl in the 1920s was known both as "Pepper Tree Lane" and, more informally, as the "Bowl" Road. This dirt path, lined with pepper trees and rustic wooden fences, served as the primary entrance for concertgoers arriving from Highland Avenue. The lane provided a picturesque and rural approach to the Bowl’s natural amphitheater, Daisy Dell, setting the stage for the outdoor music experience that would become a hallmark of the venue.

Historical Notes

The rustic charm of Pepper Tree Lane and its surroundings contributed to the unique character of the Hollywood Bowl in its formative years. The road’s rural atmosphere and the open landscape around it offered a dramatic contrast to the growing city of Hollywood visible in the distance. Before later improvements and expansions, this setting helped establish the Bowl as a beloved outdoor venue, deeply connected to the natural beauty of the Hollywood Hills.

Historical Notes

The above photo of Pepper Tree Lane/Bowl Road shows a handful of houses and small wooden buildings in the background. Among these was the modest home built by H. Ellis Reed and his father, the original caretakers who discovered and helped develop the site. Other structures were remnants from previous landowners, including a carpet cleaning company whose property was later incorporated into the Bowl grounds. These simple homes and outbuildings dotted the hillsides, reflecting the area’s sparse development at the time

Historical Notes

Today, Pepper Tree Lane remains the main pedestrian approach to the Hollywood Bowl, guiding visitors from Highland Avenue up to the venue’s Main Plaza and entrance gates. While modernized with enhanced lighting and landscaping, the lane still preserves its historic role as a scenic transition from the city into the Bowl’s natural amphitheater. Mature trees line the walkway, and at its base stands the Hollywood Bowl Museum, welcoming guests and providing a sense of the site’s rich cultural legacy. Though the rustic fences and dirt road of the 1920s are gone, Pepper Tree Lane continues to embody the spirit of arrival and anticipation, serving as both a functional path and a symbolic gateway to one of Los Angeles’s most iconic landmarks.

Historical Notes

In 1926, a group known as the Allied Architects was contracted to re-grade the Bowl, providing permanent seating and a shell. These improvements did provide increased capacity (the all-time record for attendance was set in 1936, when 26,410 people crowded into the Bowl to hear opera singer Lily Pons), but were otherwise disappointing, as the re-grading noticeably degraded the natural acoustics.

Pasadena architect and Rose Bowl designer Myron Hunt created an elliptical form for the Hollywood Bowl’s seating amphitheater. His layout features monumental stairways that reinforce the seating area’s dramatic balloon shape, which has been described as being “poised to fill with music and ascend.”

Historical Notes

1925 saw the first radio broadcasts from the Hollywood Bowl. The Los Angeles Philharmonic was the first major symphony orchestra in the United States to broadcast an entire concert on the radio.

Historical Notes

About 20,000 people watch the Hollywood Bowl dedication concert from new, permanent seats. The amphitheater space, deepened and filled with a concrete foundation featuring long aisles and pathways, wraps around an enlarged stage. These improvements mark the first $100,000 of a million-dollar improvement plan.

Historical Notes

With the completion of the Pacific Electric Railway on Highland Avenue, the Bowl became more accessible and saw an increase in attendance.

Historical Notes

In 1926, an elaborate performance of the play Julius Caesar was staged as a benefit for the Actors' Fund of America at the Hollywood Bowl. Caesar arrived for the Lupercal in a chariot drawn by four white horses. The stage was the size of a city block and dominated by a central tower eighty feet in height.

Historical Notes

The 1926 Julius Caesar production was mainly aimed at creating work for unemployed actors. Three hundred gladiators appeared in an arena scene not featured in Shakespeare's play; a similar number of girls danced as Caesar's captives; a total of three thousand soldiers took part in the battle sequences.

From Experimentation to Icon: The Early Shells of the Hollywood Bowl

Before the Hollywood Bowl became known for its familiar arched shell, the venue went through a rapid period of experimentation. Between 1926 and 1929, four different shell designs were built in just four years, each one an attempt to solve the same problem: how to project sound effectively across a large outdoor audience while preserving the natural beauty of the canyon.

These early shells were not permanent structures in the modern sense. They were built quickly, sometimes removed just as quickly, and in one case left out in the rain until the damage was done. Yet each one played an important role in shaping what the Bowl would become. The images that follow trace this four year evolution, showing how a rapid process of experimentation led to one of the most recognizable stage forms in the world.

Hollywood Bowl's First Shell

The first shell marked the Bowl's transition from a natural outdoor setting to a designed performance space. It was an early attempt to shape sound in the canyon, but it did not succeed.

Historical Notes

In 1926, the Allied Architects, a consortium formed to provide design services to public organizations, were hired to regrade the canyon and build the Bowl's first permanent shell. The seating amphitheater was laid out by Pasadena architect Myron Hunt, who also designed the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Hunt created an elliptical form for the seating area, with broad curving stairways that gave the space a sweeping shape that remains largely intact today.

The shell itself was designed as a semi-ellipse, intended to preserve the view of the hillside behind the stage. Instead, it blocked the natural resonance of the canyon and made it harder for audiences to hear the music clearly. The regrading of the hillside during construction had already weakened the acoustic properties that had made the site so appealing in the first place. The shell lasted only one season before being torn down.

Historical Notes

The 1926 shell was decorated with painted murals of sailing ships and Eastern imagery, a choice that most observers found out of place at an outdoor music venue in the Hollywood Hills. It was considered a failure on two counts: the acoustics were poor and the appearance was widely seen as unfashionable. Despite its shortcomings, the shell marked an important turning point. Before its construction, performers played on open wooden platforms with canvas awnings overhead. The introduction of a designed shell established the idea that the stage itself would play a central role in the Bowl's identity, even if this first attempt did not deliver on that promise.

Historical Notes

The search for a better design led the Hollywood Bowl Association to Lloyd Wright, son of the celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who had been working in Los Angeles as a landscape architect and stage designer. Wright would take on the challenge for the next two seasons, and the lessons learned from the 1926 failure would directly shape the designs that followed.

Historical Notes

The murals on the face of the 1926 shell reflected the decorative tastes of the period, but they sat uneasily against the natural hillside setting of the Bowl. The semi-elliptical form, while architecturally ambitious, worked against the canyon's natural acoustic properties rather than with them. When it came down at the end of the season, there was little disagreement that a new direction was needed.

Historical Notes

The Allied Architects and Myron Hunt played separate but connected roles in the Bowl's development. Hunt's elliptical seating arrangement, with its broad curved rows and sweeping stairways, remains the basic shape of the Bowl's audience area to this day. The shell he worked alongside did not survive its first season, but the seating form he created has outlasted every shell that has come and gone in the century since.

Historical Notes

The 1926 shell represented the first serious investment in the Bowl as a permanent performance venue. While it failed both visually and acoustically, it established that the venue needed a purpose-built structure to serve the tens of thousands of people arriving each summer. That recognition set the direction for everything that followed.

Historical Notes

The 1926 shell was torn down at the end of its only season. In its place, the Bowl Association commissioned Lloyd Wright to design something better. What followed was a two season experiment that produced some of the finest acoustic results the Bowl has ever achieved, though neither of those shells would survive long enough for audiences to fully appreciate what they had.

Hollywood Bowl's Second Shell

Lloyd Wright's first design for the Bowl introduced a bold new approach that dramatically improved acoustics. While highly successful in terms of sound, its appearance proved too unconventional for the times.

Historical Notes

For the 1927 season, Lloyd Wright built a pyramidal shell with a vaguely Southwestern character, constructed largely from leftover lumber from a Paramount Studios production of the operetta Robin Hood. The shell was built in just ten days at a cost of only $1,500. Despite its modest origins, it is considered by many to be the finest shell the Bowl ever had from an acoustic standpoint. Wright's son Eric later wrote that it restored the original acoustic properties of the canyon. No amplification was needed, and lighting for the orchestra was hidden at the rear of the structure.

The Hollywood Bowl Association found the pyramidal form too unconventional and had it demolished at the end of the season. Lloyd Wright reportedly questioned why straight lines were considered modern while curved lines were considered traditional, but he accepted the decision and agreed to return the following year with a new approach.

Historical Notes

The 1927 shell cost $1,500 and lasted one season. The shell that replaced it in 2004 cost $25 million. The contrast reflects how much the demands placed on an outdoor performance venue changed over eight decades. What Wright achieved with leftover lumber and ten days of construction was never matched acoustically, even as the Bowl invested far greater resources in the structures that followed.

Historical Notes

Despite being demolished after a single season, the 1927 shell had a lasting influence on the Bowl's direction. Its acoustic success demonstrated that the right design could restore the natural sound properties of the canyon without amplification. That standard guided the thinking behind every shell that followed. Lloyd Wright was invited to try again the following season, this time with the condition that the new shell have an arched rather than pyramidal form.

Hollywood Bowl's Third Shell

Wright returned with a refined design that balanced acoustics and appearance. It was highly effective on both counts, but a decision made at the end of the season would determine its fate.

Historical Notes

After his pyramidal 1927 shell was torn down for being too unconventional, Lloyd Wright was given a second chance, this time with instructions to produce a more traditional arched form. His solution was a one-quarter elliptical shell made up of nine wooden panels arranged in concentric 120-degree arcs. The panels could be angled to tune the acoustics for different performances. The shell cost $6,000, and Wright carefully designed the rings to project sound so effectively that no amplification was needed. Lighting for the orchestra was handled by hiding the fixtures at the rear of the rings.

Historical Notes

Lloyd Wright's 1928 shell was made of nine wooden panels that could be assembled and taken apart in a single day. Wright left clear instructions for the shell to be dismantled and stored after the season to protect it from winter weather. The Hollywood Bowl Association declined to spend the $500 needed to do so. The shell was left exposed to the elements, destroyed by water damage, and had to be bulldozed the following spring. It was arguably the finest shell the Bowl ever had in terms of both sound and appearance, lost after the Association chose not to dismantle and store it.

Historical Notes

The 1928 season marked a milestone in recording history. The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Goossens, made the first commercial outdoor recording of a symphony orchestra for Victor Records. The shell's exceptional acoustics, requiring no amplification whatsoever, made it a fitting setting for this landmark recording. The 2004 shell that stands today incorporates the broad profile of Wright's 1928 design, a lasting acknowledgment of how well his approach worked.

Historical Notes

The sign visible in the upper center of the photo reads: "Hollywood Bowl — Home of the World Famous Symphonies Under the Stars — Orchestra of 100 — Famous Soloists — Celebrated Conductors — 1928 Series — July 10 thru Sept 1 — Admission 50 cents." The 1928 season ran under Lloyd Wright's third shell, which many acousticians consider the finest the Bowl ever had. Audiences that summer heard exceptional natural sound with no microphones and no amplification in an open canyon under the Hollywood Hills.

Historical Notes

The Easter sunrise service shown here took place with no shell in place. Lloyd Wright's 1928 shell had been built for the summer concert season but was left exposed to winter weather after the Hollywood Bowl Association declined to spend $500 to dismantle and store it as Wright had instructed. By early 1929 it had been destroyed by water damage and bulldozed. Construction of the fourth shell began in spring 1929 and was not completed until late June, as reported in Los Angeles newspapers at the time. The Easter crowds of both 1928 and 1929 therefore gathered in an open canyon with no shell at all, making these services among the most remarkable gatherings in the Bowl's history.

Historical Notes

By Easter 1929, the Hollywood Bowl's sunrise tradition had drawn tens of thousands of people for nearly a decade. Construction of the fourth shell had begun only weeks earlier and was not completed until late June, just in time for the summer season opening on July 9. The crowd seen here, filling every seat, every aisle, and spilling across the surrounding hillsides, gathered with no shell, no stage covering, and no amplification of any kind. The canyon itself, the same natural acoustic bowl that had drawn the earliest performers to Daisy Dell in 1920, provided the only acoustics. It would be the last Easter service held without a permanent shell. This brief period between shells offers a rare glimpse of the Bowl as it existed in its most natural form.

Hollywood Bowl's Fourth Shell

The 1929 shell marked a shift toward permanence. Its familiar curved form would define the Bowl's image for the next seven decades.

Historical Notes

With the third shell lost to water damage, the Allied Architects were brought back in spring 1929 to design a permanent replacement. The result was a semi-circular shell built from transite, a material made from a mixture of asbestos fiber and concrete stretched over a steel frame. It weighed 55 tons and was mounted on rails so it could be repositioned by tractor. Its acoustics were not as strong as either of the Lloyd Wright shells, but its clean white arched form was widely admired and copied for outdoor music venues across the country. It cost $50,000 and was intended as a temporary structure. It lasted 74 years.

Historical Notes

The steel frame seen in this photo formed the backbone of a shell that would define the visual identity of the Hollywood Bowl for most of the twentieth century. The stage measured 90 feet wide and 60 feet deep, and the shell rose 45 feet at its center. Though it ranked third among the four shells in acoustic quality, its appearance proved far more durable than any of its predecessors. When it was finally demolished after the 2003 season, preservationists fought to save it, and the 2004 shell that replaced it was designed specifically to honor its silhouette.

Historical Notes

This aerial view shows the Bowl taking on the shape that would become familiar to generations of Los Angeles audiences. The new shell was built to accommodate a seating capacity of 20,000, reflecting the growing demand for summer performances. Though originally intended as a temporary solution, the 1929 shell remained in continuous use through the end of the 2003 season. Its distinctive semicircular arches became one of the most recognized stage silhouettes in the United States and appeared on the official seal of Los Angeles County.

Historical Notes

The 1929 shell underwent several visual changes over the decades. A broad outer arch was added, forming a proscenium frame around the stage opening where previously there had been only a narrow rim. These changes altered the shell's appearance without fully addressing its underlying acoustic limitations. By the late 1970s, the transite material had hardened to the point where it reflected rather than absorbed sound, and the Bowl began to rely increasingly on electronic amplification to reach the full audience.

Historical Notes

The fourth shell was completed in time for the summer season opening on July 9, 1929, just weeks after construction had begun in spring. The result was a structure that was practical, durable, and visually striking, even if it never matched the sound quality of the two shells that preceded it. The Bowl had traded acoustic excellence for permanence, and the 1929 shell delivered on both counts.

Historical Notes

Despite being conceived as a temporary structure, the 1929 shell served the Hollywood Bowl through some of the most celebrated performances in the venue's history. Frank Sinatra made his Bowl debut under it in 1943. The Beatles performed beneath it in 1964 and 1965. Luciano Pavarotti made his Bowl debut there in 1973. For seven decades, virtually every major performer who appeared at the Hollywood Bowl stood on the stage it framed.

Historical Notes

Designed by the engineering firm of Elliot, Bowen, and Waltz and built by Allied Architects, the 55-ton shell was mounted on rails and intended to be repositioned by tractor as needed. According to Lloyd Wright's son Eric, the weight of the structure eventually destroyed the rollers, making it impossible to move at all. Despite this, the shell's graceful curved form became the signature image of the Hollywood Bowl and was copied for outdoor music venues across the country for decades to come.

Historical Notes

From the upper rows of the Bowl, the shell appears small against the expanse of the canyon and the Hollywood Hills beyond. This view captures what made the venue unique: the combination of a designed performance space set within a natural landscape that dwarfed it. The hillside, the open sky, and the canyon itself were always the foundation of the Bowl experience. The shell, whatever its form, was always working within those conditions rather than replacing them.

Historical Notes

When the 1929 shell was new, its acoustics were considered a reasonable improvement over the failed 1926 shell. Over time, however, the transite material hardened and sound quality declined. By the 1970s, architect Frank Gehry and acoustician Christopher Jaffee were brought in to address the problem. They installed large cardboard sonotubes inside the shell to help distribute sound, but the tubes partially blocked the view of the arches and drew public criticism. In the early 1980s Gehry replaced the sonotubes with a series of large suspended fiberglass spheres, which improved sound distribution but required heavy electronic amplification to reach the full audience. The shell was finally replaced in 2003 after 74 seasons of continuous use.

Historical Notes

These two views, taken weeks apart, show how quickly the 1929 shell took shape. The steel skeleton was covered with transite panels and finished in time for the summer season opening on July 9, 1929. With no shell in place following the loss of the 1928 structure, the Bowl had faced the prospect of opening its season on a bare stage. The shell was completed in time, and it would remain in place for the next seven decades.

Historical Notes

The fourth shell was the most recognized structure in the Bowl's history. Its distinctive concentric white arches defined the venue's visual identity for most of the twentieth century and were copied for outdoor music venues across the country. When it was finally demolished after the 2003 season, the 2004 shell that replaced it was designed to honor its silhouette so closely that many returning concertgoers said they could not tell the difference.

Historical Notes

In 1932, violinist Jascha Heifetz, widely regarded as the greatest violinist of the twentieth century, made his Hollywood Bowl debut under the fourth shell. He returned many times over the following decades, including a 1963 performance of Brahms' Double Concerto alongside cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. The long service life of the fourth shell meant that it framed the debuts and landmark performances of virtually every major classical artist who passed through Los Angeles during the mid-twentieth century.

Hollywood Bowl Shells (1926 to 1929)

(1926 to 1929) — Within a span of four years, the Hollywood Bowl went through four different shell designs, all aimed at improving the acoustics and appearance of the stage. The 1929 shell would go on to serve the Bowl for 74 years.

The four shells of this period reflect a rapid process of experimentation, each addressing acoustics, appearance, and durability in different ways. The 1926 shell failed on both acoustics and appearance and lasted one season. The 1927 shell was acoustically exceptional but was torn down because its pyramidal form was considered too unconventional. The 1928 shell was by most accounts the finest the Bowl ever had, lost not to any design flaw but to a decision that left it exposed to the weather. The 1929 shell, built in spring 1929 and completed in late June, turned out to be the one that lasted nearly a century.

The current shell, completed in 2004, was designed to honor the silhouette of the 1929 structure while drawing on elements from all four of its predecessors. The prominent front arch came from 1926, the broad profile from 1928, and the clean white finish from 1929. Even the ring structure inside the current shell echoes a feature of the 1927 design. In this way, the Bowl's present stage carries something of every shell that came before it.

Cahuenga Pass

Historical Notes

A new freeway adjacent to the Hollywood Bowl was to built a dozen years later. The Hollywood Freeway would be built in stages. The first segment built was a one and a half mile stretch through the Cahuenga Pass. That segment opened on June 15, 1940. It was then known as the "Cahuenga Pass Freeway." The next section of the freeway that stretched from the San Fernando Valley to Downtown Los Angeles opened on April 16, 1954. The final section, north of the Ventura Freeway to the Golden State Freeway was completed in 1968.

Pacific Electric Railway trolleys ran down the center of this freeway until 1952.

Historical Notes

In 1976, the Pilgrimage Theatre was renamed the John Anson Ford Theatre in honor of the late L.A. County Supervisor's significant support of the arts. John Anson Ford (1883–1983) helped found the L.A. County Arts Commission, encouraged the Board of Supervisors to support the building of the Music Center and led the County's acquisition of Descanso Gardens, among many other achievements.

Historical Notes

In 1934, legendary European producer/director Max Reinhardt's lavish production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream drew 200,000 people over its 10 performances at the Bowl. The huge cast featured Mickey Rooney as Puck, Olivia de Havilland as Hermia, and Walter Connelly as Bottom.

Historical Notes

In 1934, Alfred Hertz conducted his 100th concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

In 1936, the attendance record of 26,410 for a single concert was set by French soprano Lily Pons. The Bowl's seating capacity was 20,000 at that time.

Historical Notes

Madame Butterfly was  performed for a sold out crowd of 22,000 on August 9, 1938. The stage set contained a building designed to look like a traditional paper and wood Japanese house (left) and an arched bridge leading off stage (center). This performance stressed authenticity as can be seen by the decorations on the Shoji screens.

Historical Notes

Carla Peroni conducted the opera, Hizi Koyke stared as Cho Cho San to rave reviews, and Mario Chamlee played Pinkerton. A sign on the stage reads "Please keep quiet" and the orchestra pit is empty, but people are starting to fill the boxes.

Historical Notes

In 1940, the Hollywood Bowl entrance was enhanced with the addition of the Muse of Music fountain, a 15-foot-high granite structure designed by sculptor George Stanley, who was also famous for creating the Oscar statuette3. This iconic fountain features three figures representing the Muses of Music, Dance, and Drama, each depicted with symbolic attributes such as a lyre, dynamic movement, and theater masks4. The construction of this monumental piece required 300 tons of granite quarried near Victorville and 1,180 tons of concrete.

Historical Notes

The Muse of Music fountain and sculpture became a defining feature of the Hollywood Bowl's entrance, symbolizing the venue's dedication to the performing arts.

Historical Notes

The Muse of Music statue, officially titled "Muse of Music, Dance, Drama," is a prominent landmark at the entrance of the Hollywood Bowl. Sculpted by George Maitland Stanley in 1940 as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, the fountain-style sculpture embodies the Streamline Moderne style and is carved from granite. It stands 22 feet tall and features three figures: the Muse of Music playing a lyre, the Muse of Dance in motion, and the Muse of Drama holding theater masks. Initiated by Charles Toberman, president of the Hollywood Bowl Association, the project received financial support from Los Angeles County and the WPA, which provided labor and materials funding. The statue was dedicated on July 8, 1940, before the opening of the Bowl’s 19th season, and quickly became a symbol of the venue, frequently featured in posters and postcards. Over time, the statue experienced wear due to pollution and bird droppings, leading to a significant restoration effort in 2006 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Hollywood Bowl. This restoration preserved Stanley's original design while incorporating modern updates. The Muse of Music continues to serve as an entrance landmark and is the inspiration behind the Hollywood Bowl's Design Guidelines, established in 2004, which guide the venue's future development in alignment with the aesthetic of Stanley’s work.

(1939)* - Construction of  the Hollywood Bowl's "Muse of Music" sculpture at the entrance to the bowl.

Historical Notes

The sculpture incorporates natural embedded lighting to enhance its visual appeal. Carved from granite, the statue stands 22 feet tall and 200 feet wide, serving as both an artistic centerpiece and a functional retaining wall for the amphitheater.

Historical Notes

The design includes three figures representing music, dance, and drama, with the central Muse of Music playing a lyre as the focal point. Stanley envisioned the sculpture as a gateway to both the Hollywood Bowl and Hollywood itself, embodying the city's aspirations as a creative and artistic capital.

Historical Notes

The monument is composed of a multi-tiered concrete structure faced with granite blocks. A complex fountain system circulates water to pools at various levels of the monument. Granite sculptures depicting the three muses: Music, Dance, and Drama are mounted on the monument. The central figure of Music, 15′ in height, is depicted in a kneeling position playing a harp. Dance and Drama, each 10′ in height, are depicted as standing figures, located in niches along the sides of the monument. There is an entrance to the fountain pump and electrical system on the top tier, adjacent to the figure of Music.

Historical Notes

The artistically modern statuary overlooks the entrance to Hollywood Bowl. Its construction in 1940 was one of the last acts of the depression-- a WPA art project. The statuary entitled "Muse of Music, Dance, Drama" was designed by sculptor George Stanley.

Historical Notes

The monument was altered in recent years. Modern tiles and lighting were installed. It is not known whether these additions are in keeping with the original plan for the monument.

Historical Notes

The first segment of the Hollywood Freeway built was a one and a half mile stretch through the Cahuenga Pass. That segment opened on June 15, 1940. It was then known as the "Cahuenga Pass Freeway." Pacific Electric Railway trolleys ran down the center of this freeway until 1952.

Historical Notes

In 1942, Hollywood Bowl audiences were limited to 5,000 due to war-related safety concerns.

In 1943, Frank Sinatra's Hollywood Bowl debut on August 14 was the first appearance by a pop singer with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In 1945, conductor and arranger Johnny Green made his Hollywood Bowl debut, ultimately performing 77
American musical theatre pops concerts at the Bowl over 39 years.

In 1946, Leopold Stokowski named Hollywood Bowl's first Music Director.

Historical Notes

In 1942, Hollywood Bowl audiences were limited to 5,000 due to war-related safety concerns.

Historical Notes

On June 14th, 1944, radio actors and actresses performed at the Hollywood Bowl during a war bond program.  CBS broadcast the event.

Historical Notes

Hollywood High School held its first graduation at the Hollywood Bowl in 1922, following the venue's official opening, and continued to do so each year until 1970. Prior to that, informal gatherings were held at the site, and some sources suggest the school may have used the location for its ceremonies as early as 1920. Other institutions have also used the Hollywood Bowl for graduation ceremonies. Immaculate Heart High School has a long tradition of holding commencements there, including recent ceremonies in 2018, 2019, and 2024. UCLA also used the venue for its 31st commencement in 1950

Historical Notes

From 1922 to the late 1970s, Hollywood High School held its graduation ceremonies at the Hollywood Bowl, making it one of the most distinctive commencement traditions in Los Angeles. As the first school to use the Bowl for graduation, Hollywood High took advantage of its grand outdoor setting and large seating capacity, drawing thousands of students and families each year. The tradition reinforced the school's deep ties to the entertainment industry, as many graduates went on to careers in film, television, and music. However, by the late 1970s, rising costs and logistical challenges led to the graduation being moved to other venues, ending a nearly 50-year tradition that had become a hallmark of the school’s history.

Historical Notes

Five performances of Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus opened the 1951 season at the Hollywood Bowl. With the Bowl on the brink of financial collapse, this unpopular and costly production precipitated an abrupt cancellation of the remainder of the season.

Historical Notes

Dorothy Buffum Chandler, head of an Emergency Committee, successfully raised funds and rallied support for the Bowl from throughout the world, allowing the season to resume 12 days later. This is the only time Bowl season was interrupted.

Historical Notes

The Symphony Under the Stars at the Hollywood Bowl in the 1950s was a vibrant and integral part of Los Angeles' cultural landscape. During this decade, the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, led by renowned conductors such as Felix Slatkin, Miklós Rózsa, Carmen Dragon, and Alfred Newman, was the primary ensemble performing at the venue. The orchestra gained widespread recognition through its extensive series of recordings released by Capitol Records, which helped popularize the concerts beyond the local audience.

Despite facing a brief financial crisis in 1951, the Bowl quickly rebounded thanks to fundraising efforts. A triumphant reopening concert, featuring Alfred Wallenstein conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, marked its return to prominence.

Historical Notes

With the completion of the Hollywood Freeway near the Bowl, the environment was altered, creating more ambient traffic noise around the venue.

Historical Notes

In September 1953, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed at the Hollywood Bowl, transforming the renowned music venue into a vibrant circus stage. Known as "The Greatest Show on Earth," the circus showcased a variety of thrilling acts, including elephants, flying trapeze performances, and cannon acts, captivating the audience with its grand spectacle. This event occurred during a significant period for both the circus and the Hollywood Bowl; by 1953, the circus had become a well-established American institution through the merger of two historic operations, while the Hollywood Bowl had evolved into a prominent venue for musical performances since its opening in 1922. The performance marked a unique intersection of entertainment, blending the excitement of circus acts with the grandeur of one of America's most famous outdoor venues, creating a memorable experience for attendees.

Historical Notes

President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered a pivotal campaign speech at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 19, 1956, as part of his re-election bid. The iconic outdoor amphitheater provided a dramatic setting for the address, which was broadcast on regional television networks.

Historical Notes

In his speech, Eisenhower emphasized national unity, rejecting any division of Americans into "little men" and "big men". He highlighted his administration's economic achievements, including record-high labor income shares and employment levels. The President also stressed America's global importance, describing it as the hope of free people worldwide. Eisenhower emphasized that the nation's strength was not just military but also spiritual, intellectual, and economic. As part of his campaign strategy, he endorsed local Republican candidates, including Senator Thomas Kuchel and his running mate, Vice President Richard Nixon.

Historical Notes

In 1953 a decorative reflecting pool measuring 106 feet long, 36 feet wide, and six feet deep, with a capacity of 100,000 gallons of water, was installed in front of the stage.

Historical Notes

The Hollywood Bowl reflecting pool in front of the stage was installed in 1953 and removed only 19 years later in 1972.

Historical Notes

The Hollywood Bowl fountains were installed July, 1959. They would be removed along with the reflecting pool in 1972.

Historical Notes

The rainbow-colored water show became a popular feature during intermissions. A particularly beautiful effect was achieved when an underwater gas jet was turned on, allowing the fountain to spout fire and water at the same time.

Historical Notes

The reflecting pool and fountains at the Hollywood Bowl were removed in 1972 primarily due to concerns about their impact on the venue's acoustics and the condition of performers' instruments. The pool, which was installed in 1953, and the fountains, added in 1959, were initially popular features. However, over time, it was found that the presence of the pool negatively affected the acoustics of the Bowl and caused damage to string instruments used by performers. Consequently, the pool was drained and later removed to improve the sound quality and protect the instruments.

Historical Notes

Tickets went on sale four months before the concert and sold out in 3 1/2 hours. Hundreds of teenage girls camped out overnight on Highland Avenue and the next day the line went from the Bowl entrance nearly to Hollywood Boulevard.

Historical Notes

The screaming of the crowd was so loud, no one could hear the music. After the concert, kids mobbed the backstage area. The producers used a limo as a decoy while putting the Beatles in a Dodge Dart and getting them out before the kids realized they were gone.

Historical Notes

Bob Eubanks booked The Beatles' for the August 23, 1964 performance at the Hollywood Bowl.  Capitol Records recorded their performance with the intent of releasing a live album, however, the sound quality of the tapes proved to be inadequate for commercial release.

Historical Notes

The Beatles returned the following year for two more shows: August 29th and 30th, 1965. After the previous year's pandemonium, the Bowl's management tried to avoid a panic situation by hiring a Brinks armored truck to bring the Beatles to and from their hotel.

Since then, virtually every rock star (with the possible exception of Elvis) has played the Bowl.

Capitol Records again recorded the two performances by the group as they did the previous year. The sound quality of the 1965 recordings was again disappointing. Capitol did, however, utilize a 48-second excerpt of "Twist and Shout" from the 1964 Hollywood Bowl concert on the 1964 documentary album, The Beatles' Story.

Historical Notes

The reflecting pool in front of the stage lasted from 1953 till 1972.

Historical Notes

Architect Frank Gehry and acoustician Christopher Jaffee were hired to improve the Bowl’s acoustics. They installed sonotubes, prefabricated cardboard forms used to create concrete columns, which were placed inside the shell and extended along the outer wings of the stage, enhancing the sound for both the audience and musicians. However, the placement of the sonotubes obstructed the views of the Bowl’s famous shell, which creates public outcry.

Historical Notes

In 1972, the reflecting pool was drained to eliminate further damage to the Bowl’s acoustics and the performers’ string instruments. An exclusive section of box seats with its own concierge and food service (installed in 1995) now occupy the space; it is named the "Pool Circle" in memory of the reflecting pool..

Historical Notes

Between 1926 and 1929 the Hollywood Bowl shell went through a series of four design modifications all in an effort to improve the acoustics. The 1929 shell stood until 2003.

Historical Notes

1980s Modification: To improve acoustics inside the 1929 shell, architect Frank Gehry added a series of large white fiberglass spheres, often referred to as the “acoustical balls.” These hung beneath the shell’s ceiling until the structure was demolished in 2003.

Historical Notes

Architect Frank Gehry - who also designed Walt Disney Concert Hall - added the fiberglass spheres above the Bowl stage in 1980 to improve acoustics.

Historical Notes

The Hollywood Bowl is known for its band shell, a distinctive set of concentric arches that graced the site from 1929 through 2003, before being replaced with a somewhat larger one beginning in the 2004 season.

From Wooden Stage to Modern Sound:

The Evolution of the Hollywood Bowl Shell

The Hollywood Bowl has always been defined by its stage. While the canyon setting provided natural beauty and strong acoustics, it was the evolving shell that shaped how music reached audiences season after season.

From a simple wooden platform in the early 1920s to the sophisticated structure in place today, each shell reflected both artistic ambition and the engineering of its time. Between 1926 and 1929 alone, the Bowl went through four different designs as architects worked to find the right balance of sound and form. Over the following decades, the Bowl adapted to larger crowds, new technologies, and higher expectations, while holding on to the spirit of an open-air venue set within the hills.

The images and notes below trace this progression, from modest beginnings to one of the most recognized outdoor stages in the world.

Historical Notes

After nearly a decade of planning and nine months of construction, the Hollywood Bowl introduced its fifth and current shell in 2004. The design preserved the familiar arched silhouette audiences had known since 1929, while bringing major improvements in sound quality and performance.

A large acoustic canopy was added above the stage to project sound more evenly across a seating area that holds up to 17,500 people. Advanced digital sound systems were integrated throughout the structure. Two large video screens were installed near the stage and two more farther back in the seating area, giving audiences in every section a clear view of the performers.

The new shell is approximately 30 percent larger than the 1929 structure it replaced, yet its design deliberately echoes the familiar arched form that has become one of the most photographed stages in the United States. It remains the most technically advanced shell in the Bowl's history.

Historical Notes

This comparison spans more than 80 years of change at the Hollywood Bowl. In 1922, the venue was little more than a wooden stage set against a natural hillside, with audiences seated on simple benches along the canyon slope. There was no permanent shell, no amplification, and no fixed seating. Conductor Alfred Hertz and the Los Angeles Philharmonic opened the first official season that July before a crowd that filled the benches and spread onto blankets across the hillside.

Over the following decades, the Bowl went through a continuous series of improvements in stage design, seating, and acoustics. Each round of changes responded to growing attendance and the increasing demands of performers. The construction of the Hollywood Freeway through the adjacent Cahuenga Pass in the early 1950s added a new challenge, as traffic noise gradually crept into the outdoor setting.

Despite all of this, the Bowl has kept its identity as a venue shaped by its surroundings. The hillside setting, the open sky, and the distant view of the Hollywood Sign remain central to the experience, even as the stage itself has been rebuilt, modified, and rebuilt again.

Hollywood Bowl Shells

Then and Now (1926–Present)

Historical Notes

The Hollywood Bowl has been home to five different shells, each one representing a period of experimentation as designers worked to balance appearance, acoustics, and the demands of a large outdoor stage.

The First Shell, built in 1926 by the Allied Architects Association, was part of efforts to reshape the canyon and add permanent seating. It was a semi-elliptical wooden structure decorated with murals of sailing ships, which most observers found out of place. Its acoustics were considered poor, and it was demolished at the end of its first season.

The Second Shell, completed in 1927, was designed by Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Working partly with leftover lumber from a theatrical production of Robin Hood, Wright built a pyramidal shell with a Southwestern character. Acousticians considered it the finest shell the Bowl ever had from a sound standpoint, but its unconventional appearance was too much for Bowl leadership, and it came down after one season.

The Third Shell, built in 1928, gave Wright a second chance, this time with instructions to produce a more traditional arched form. His design featured nine concentric segmented arches that could be adjusted panel by panel to tune the acoustics. It was an acoustic success and reflected a clean and modern design. It was intended to be dismantled between seasons, but for reasons never fully explained this was not done, and it did not survive the winter.

The Fourth Shell, completed in 1929, became the most recognized structure in the Bowl's history. It was designed by the engineering firm of Elliot, Bowen, and Waltz and built by Allied Architects. Constructed from transite, a composite of asbestos fiber and concrete over a steel frame, the 55-ton shell was mounted on rails so it could be repositioned by tractor. Its clean semicircular arches were widely copied for outdoor music venues across the country. Over time the acoustics declined, and in 1970 architect Frank Gehry and acoustician Christopher Jaffee installed large sonotubes inside the shell and along the outer wings of the stage to improve sound projection. The sonotubes drew criticism for partially blocking the view of the arches. In the early 1980s, Gehry replaced them with a series of large suspended fiberglass spheres that helped distribute sound more evenly. The fourth shell served the Bowl for 74 years, through the end of the 2003 season.

The Fifth Shell, completed in 2004, is the current structure in use today. Built with modern acoustic engineering and computer-assisted design, it is larger than its predecessor and incorporates a permanent canopy and an integrated digital sound system. Its form honors the silhouette of the 1929 shell while meeting the full range of demands placed on a major outdoor venue in the 21st century.

A Stage Like No Other

For more than a century, the Hollywood Bowl has served as the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and one of the great gathering places of Los Angeles. What began as a quiet canyon known as Daisy Dell has grown into a venue that has welcomed presidents, opera legends, jazz pioneers, and rock icons, drawing audiences in the tens of thousands on a single night.

The story of the Bowl is ultimately a story about a place and the people who refused to let it remain ordinary. From Christine Wetherill Stevenson and Artie Mason Carter in the earliest years, to Dorothy Chandler rescuing the season in 1951, to the architects and acousticians who rebuilt the stage again and again in pursuit of something better, the Hollywood Bowl has always depended on people who believed that great music deserved a great setting.

Today the Bowl welcomes more than one million visitors each summer, making it the most attended outdoor music venue in the United States. The canyon that once held a few hundred people on wooden benches now holds nearly 18,000 on any given evening, yet the hillside, the open sky, and the arched shell above the stage still connect every audience to the place where it all began.