Since 1940, Boston Pops Concerts on the Esplanade have been held at the Edward Hatch Memorial Concertorium, better known as the Hatch Shell. But, there have been concert stages along the river since July 4th, 1929.
(Photo courtesy of the Massachusetts DCR Archives)
The Hatch Shell replaced temporary music stages that had been used for Arthur Fiedler’s Esplanade concerts since the inaugural event. The first concert stage was a small platform backed by a shell-shaped sounding board made of wood. This structure was erected and dismantled for each season’s concerts.
In 1934, this was replaced by a temporary steel structure. While it was designed with an open back, it was described as, “insufferably hot” by Linda Cox in, “The Charles River Esplanade, Its Fascinating History.”
In 1939, the trustees of Maria E. Hatch’s estate entered into an agreement to give the Commonwealth of Massachusetts $300,000 to build a concertorium or music shell on the Storrow Memorial Embankment in Boston. It would be a memorial to her bother, Boston real estate auctioneer, Edward Hatch.
The agreement was very specific as to the use of the structure. It would be for “musical and artistic purposes… of general public interest and entertainment, except, however, that it shall not be used for sectarian, political or controversial purposes.”
What's on your Summer Fun shopping list? Shop Amazon – Get Ready for Summer – Everything You Need
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Postcards are from a private collection