Acoustical shells were developed to reflect sound outward, focused in one direction as opposed to the ″sound in the round″ diffused from all sides of the open gazebo bandstand. In the United States they were built in large city parks and amusement parks as bands increased in size. Free−standing outdoor shells in a variety of styles were built starting in the 1890s. Professional architects were often employed to design them with varying degrees of acoustical success. The
Hollywood Bowl shell, based on a 1928 prototype by
Lloyd Wright, has been rebuilt several times with the present structure being the fifth on that site. Rectangular pavilions with enclosed shell and stage, similar to one in Boise, Idaho (pictured), were being built after 1900. These proved very effective as outdoor performing venues, and many are still in use. The Rotorua Soundshell was an outdoor shell theatre in the
Rotorua CBD on the shore of
Lake Rotorua, New Zealand. Built in 1947, it was the locale for the Rotorua Soundshell Talent Quest, won in 1956 by the original
Howard Morrison Quartet, thereby launching the career of
Sir Howard Morrison. The shell building was replaced in 1958 by a modern structure that thrived until its demolition in 2019, retaining its original name despite no longer being an acoustic shell. ==See also==