The Music Concourse is a vital civic space within Golden Gate Park. It was originally constructed as the Grand Court for the 1894 California Mid-winter International Exposition. It was completed in 1900, as the cultural center of Golden Gate Park. Its layout was much like the present Music Concourse.

The Spreckels Temple of Music was constructed in 1900. The Music Concourse was planned with terraces for seating around the perimeter for an anticipated capacity of 20,000. Its depressed elevation was intended to provide protection from summer winds. The Spreckels Temple of Music and the M.H. de Young Museum, which remained from the 1894 fair, were originally the only structures in the Music Concourse area. Other structures were added later such as the California Academy of Sciences in 1916 and the Rideout Fountain in 1924.

Many other monuments and statues are located in and around the Music Concourse. Most monuments were donated. The pollarded trees in the Music Concourse include primarily London plane trees and Wych elms with some maples and walnuts. It is not clear when the present trees were planted. Original drawings and photos of the Music Concourse indicate fewer trees than at present. Other historic features of the Music Concourse include three pedestrian tunnels under adjacent roadways.

Several elements in the Music Concourse have been renovated. The Spreckels Temple of Music, damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, was rededicated in 1994 after a complete seismic reconstruction. The four fountains in the Music Concourse have also been restored.