The Edward A. Hatch Memorial Shell (commonly referred to as the "Hatch Shell") is an outdoor concert venue on the Charles River Esplanade in the

Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and t ...

section of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

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. Built in 1939–1940, it is one of the city's prominent examples of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

architecture. The Hatch Shell is best known for hosting the Boston Pops Orchestra annually for the Boston

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

celebration, but is also used for free concerts most weekends and many weeknights during the summer months. The grass pavilion in front of the stage has no permanent seating. There is a memorial nearby to

Arthur Fiedler Arthur Fiedler (December 17, 1894 – July 10, 1979) was an American conductor known for his association with both the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one ...

, first permanent conductor of the Pops.

Name

The Hatch Shell is named in memory of Edward Hatch, the descendant of a family with deep roots in colonial Massachusetts and a fortune made in foreign trade. Hatch died in 1910, and his sister Maria died without issue in 1926, leaving a substantial portion of her estate in a trust which was to be used for "a park, playground or memorial" in or near Boston that would be "open to the public at such times and under such circumstances as may from time to time best minister to the public need for a beauty spot." The executor of Maria Hatch's estate died before the terms of the trust could be executed, and it remained undiscovered until 1936, when

Massachusetts Attorney General The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder al ...

Paul A. Dever discovered it and instituted probate action to complete its terms. New trustees, selected by the court, determined that a permanent concert shell on the Charles River Esplanade would satisfy the terms of the trust.

History

The original, wooden shell was built in 1928 as a temporary venue for the Pops with expectations of construction of a permanent structure in the near future. It was first used for a concert on July 4, 1929, with

conducting the Boston Pops Orchestra. A second, temporary shell, made of metal, was built in 1934. The permanent shell was designed by architect Richard J. Shaw, and was dedicated on July 2, 1940. In preparation for its 50th anniversary in 1991, it underwent significant renovation and repair along with modernization of its

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acousticia ...

by Boston architecture firm Finegold Alexander. Bostonian Howard Brickman, a master craftsman specializing in wood floors, re-created the intricate interior paneling of the shell by hand. An bronze statue of

George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...

, by James Earle Fraser, commemorates the general's June 7, 1945 address at the site before a crowd of 20,000 persons. Uses of the Hatch Shell include concerts, movie showings and speeches, and as a meeting place for large events, such as AIDS Walk Boston and the Larry Kessler 5K Run. The grass pavilion is used for picnics, casual sports and sunbathing, in a manner typical of urban parks. The Hatch Shell underwent a $2.4 million renovation in 2018, the first since 1989. The exterior panels of the shell were replaced, which required a laser scan of the shell and fabrication of 673 separate panels in 93 different shapes.

Architecture

The Hatch Shell is a wood-frame structure with a semicircular arched opening that is high and wide. It is fronted by a stone platform with stairs that extend the structure's width to . On the front of this platform are engraved the names of famous (at least through the period of its construction) composers. The exterior of the shell is finished in

terrazzo Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material, poured with a cementitious binder (for chemical bind ...

tile, and the interior is finished in wood. The interior floor consists of stepped tiers in semicircular form. The outside of the shell is ringed by a single-story flat-roof structure housing dressing rooms and storage facilities for performers. :Front ::Half left ::: PUCCINI SULLIVAN STRAUSS

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LOEFFLER MACDOWELL FOSTER

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References

* Martha Burnham Humphrey, ''The Edward Hatch Memorial Shell: Richard Shaw, architect, William R. Barss, acoustic consultant, Maurice Reidy, structural engineer : dedicated July 2, 1940'', published in 1940. * Jim Vrabel, ''When in Boston: a time line & almanac'', Bostonian Society, Northeastern University Press, 2004, page 294.

External links

Official site

Fan site
{{Charles River Esplanade 1928 establishments in Massachusetts Art Deco architecture in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Boston Charles River Esplanade Culture of Boston Landmarks in Back Bay, Boston Amphitheaters in the United States Music venues completed in 1928 Music venues completed in 1940 Music venues in Boston