Pre-1967

"The Great Work Begins"

Los Angeles’ civic and cultural leaders—with Dorothy Buffum Chandler at the helm—put in over a decade of work even before Center Theatre Group opened our doors. They laid the groundwork for a great regional theatre company that could become a center for a sprawling city.

Photo courtesy of The Music Center Archives/Otto Rothschild Collection
1960

After a summer in London, Chandler decides that The Music Center’s theatres would run on the nonprofit institutionalized symphony orchestra model, something never tried before in America, 1960

Photo courtesy of The Music Center Archives/Otto Rothschild Collection

The Music Center Designs by Welton Becket and Associates

Architect Welton Becket designs the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre

The Music Center Designs by Welton Becket and Associates

I see it as a laboratory and workshop of the performing arts in which our talented young people can find themselves.

Real estate developer, financier, and philanthropist S. Mark Taper on why he donated $1.5 million to build The Music Center. The Mark Taper Forum is named in his honor.

The Dedication Ceremony

Step back in time with this archival footage of The Music Center as it takes you through the construction, opening, and the dedication ceremony.

Looking back, I am not sure but what were all a little crazy.

Lew Wasserman reflects on the beginnings of Center Theatre Group. Wasserman, a legendary movie mogul, becomes president of the Center Theatre Group Board of Directors just months before the Taper and Ahmanson are scheduled to open.