The Boston Pops performing at the Hatch Shell on July 4, 2005

The Hatch Shell is an outdoor concert venue adjacent to the Charles River Esplanade near downtown Boston. The Hatch Shell is best known for hosting the Boston Pops Orchestra annually for the Boston Fourth of July celebration, but is also used for free concerts most weekends and many weeknights during the summer months. The band Dispatch performed a free show at the Hatch Shell on July 31st 2004, drawing over 110,000 fans. The grass pavilion in front of the stage has no permanent seating. There is a memorial to Arthur Fiedler, first permanent conductor of the Pops, nearby. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1152x768, 671 KB) The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra performing at the Hatch Shell in Boston on 2005-07-04. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1152x768, 671 KB) The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra performing at the Hatch Shell in Boston on 2005-07-04. ... The Boston Pops Orchestra was founded in 1885 as a subsection of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Charles River from the Boston side, facing Cambridge and the main campus of Harvard University. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... The Boston Pops Orchestra was founded in 1885 as a subsection of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. ... These fireworks over the Washington Monument are typical of Fourth of July celebrations In the United States, Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. ... A dispatch can be: A report sent to a newspaper by a correspondent. ... Arthur Fiedler (December 17, 1894 – July 10, 1979) was the long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specialized in popular music. ...

The original shell was built in 1928 as a temporary venue for the Pops with expectations of construction of a permanent structure in the near future. Owing to sparse funding throughout the Great Depression, construction of a permanent Hatch Shell was delayed until 1941. In preparation for its 50th anniversary in 1991, it underwent significant renovation and repair along with modernization of its acoustics. Bostonian Howard Brickman, a master craftsman specializing in wood floors, re-created the intricate interior paneling of the shell by hand. The Great Depression was a time of economic down turn, which started after the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. ... Acoustics is a branch of physics and is the study of sound (mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids). ...

Other uses of the Hatch Shell include movie showings and political speeches, and it is used as a meeting place for large events, such as the AIDS Walk. The grass pavilion is used for picnics, casual sports, and sunbathing in a manner typical of urban parks.

External links

• Official site