Things to do in Little Holmby: Royce Hall

You’ll wonder whether you have been transported to Northern Italy as you stand in front of a grand structure of intellectual and artistic excellence: Royce Hall.  Modeled after Milan’s Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio which was constructed in the tenth and eleventh centuries, Royce Hall was built in 1929 as one of the first structures on UCLA’s campus, designed by architect David Allison.

In 1936, UCLA had been open only seven years, nestled in an old sheep pasture making the campus more bucolic than cultural.  But in September of that year, one of the greatest popular composers of all time – George Gershwin appeared who would pave the way for extraordinary performing arts presentations from other greats like Duke Ellington, Jimmy Dorsey’s Band, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic and Mikhail Baryshnikov to name just a few.

Today, Royce Hall is a monument to the rich cultural past of Los Angeles and a gateway to the future welcoming performing arts enthusiasts to its acoustically stunning, 1800- seat theater. 

Upcoming performances can be found here: https://www.roycehall.org/calendar/