Hatch Memorial Shell
For many of those from Boston and the surrounding area, it seems like the Hatch Memorial Shell has always been sitting on the city’s Esplanade along the Charles River. Afterall, it’s a core element of Boston’s identity. However, as many of those same people don’t know, their beloved Shell had a somewhat rocky beginning.
The venue’s history begins in the late 1920s with Arthur Fiedler, then a violinist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, who enjoyed walking along the Esplanade and dreamed of a place where he could bring music to the general public outside the confines of the BSO’s home, Symphony Hall. Construction on the first shell, a wooden structure, began in 1928 and the debut event was on July 4, 1929, when Fiedler conducted the Boston Sinfonieta, an ensemble comprised of BSO musicians. That shell was assembled and disassembled annually until a permanent metal one replaced it in 1934.
In 1938, a devastating hurricane destroyed the shell, but a new one was able to be built thanks to the generosity of the Hatch family of Massachusetts, who had made a fortune in international trade. Upon Edward A. Hatch’s death in 1910, his sister Maria inherited his estate and she left a $300,000 trust (about $5.3M in 2024) to fund a public park or memorial when she died in 1926. The trustee of her estate died before executing the terms of the trust, however, and it went undiscovered until 1936. After the hurricane leveled the second shell, the new trustees agreed that the money should go to the construction of a second permanent one (which was named the Hatch Memorial Shell, understandably).
That shell was designed by Richard J. Shaw, a Boston-based architect best known for designing churches. The art deco design, which features intricate woodwork adorning the interior and a terrazzo tile roof, was dedicated on July 2, 1940, which represented a dream come true for Fiedler, area residents and the City of Boston. There have been numerous renovations, modernizations and repairs over the decades – including replacement of the terrazzo roof tiles and restoration of the intricate interior wood paneling, both done by hand – but all have remained true to the original design.
The Hatch Memorial Shell has continued to be a favorite spot for millions of people to relax in the fresh air and enjoy wonderful music of all genres from across the world. Performers have included jazz ensembles from local high schools, The Boston Landmarks Orchestra, The Stylistics, Blues Traveler, Collective Soul, Green Day, Three Dog Night, The Guess Who along with New England’s own Orpheus, Aerosmith, James Taylor, Ill Wind and Arlo Guthrie, to name a few.
Though the shell was built to serve a crowd of 10,000, there were an estimated 400,000 people in attendance for the bicentennial celebration on July 4, 1976. The annual Fourth of July Boston Pops concert remains a tradition for Boston and all of New England to this day and there’s no doubt that people’s love and appreciation for the Hatch Memorial Shell will last well into the future.
(by Carol Starkey)
