Music Center Plaza Re-Opening Celebration

The Music Center opened to the public with great fanfare in 1964. But the plaza connecting the Welton Becket-designed Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum was difficult to access and languished for years, underused. After nearly two years and $41 million, the Music Center Plaza is ready to open its newly renovated outdoor space.

Designed by Los Angeles-based Rios Clementi Hale Studios (RCH Studios) – which also designed Grand Park, Grand Avenue Streetscape and led the renovation of The Music Center’s Mark Taper Forum – the reinvigorated space features a new welcome center, a full-service restaurant, wine bar, coffee bar, gardens with expansive vistas, interactive art installations and more. “What we’ve created here is an incredible space for people to engage in art in all new ways,” says Music Center COO Howard Sherman in an interview with DnA.

The Plaza re-opening will also mark the return of The Music Center Plaza fountain, a centerpiece of the space, while the Jacques Lipchitz-designed “Peace on Earth” sculpture has been relocated to the Hope Street entrance to The Music Center complex.

Celebration opens with a civic dedication Wednesday, August 28 at 10 am, and there are free public events throughout Labor Day Weekend. You can see the full list of events here.