At the onset of the Walt Disney Concert Hall project, Gehry envisioned a 367,000 square foot concert hall that would cover one square block of land. A donation of fifty million dollars was contributed to the project by Lillian Disney, widow of Walt Disney. Mrs. Disney did not quite understand the design of the building, but Gehry tried to incorporate as much of her input as possible. She was fond of flowers and gardens. Gehry decided to make a garden outside the hall and make the seats look like a garden as well. The entire structure was described by Gehry as a flower with many layers.
Construction of the hall began in 1992. Fundraising was stalled during the tumultuous times of the mid-1990s. Criticism of the building's design was also a factor in the project's abandonment. Fortunately, supporters of the effort were able to make private contributions and construction ensued. By the time the structure was completed in 2003, the project would cost roughly 274,000 dollars. The hall, encompassing 2,265 seats, officially opened on October 24th of that year. Just steps away from the hall are the Ahmanson Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum, and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Also close by are the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Colburn School of Performing Arts, and the famous soaring Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels.