Los Angeles county board approves $650 million LACMA redesign

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $650-million redesigning project of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

On April 10, the board certified the final environmental impact report for the LACMA’s new building and approved the project. The board also approved the issuance of $117.5 million on its $125 million contribution for the project.

The project calls for the construction of one modern building to replace four aging buildings, as well as the construction of a parking structure on Ogden Drive to replace the spaces on the existing Spaulding parking lot.

The current buildings have many serious structural issues and problems with plumbing, sewage, lack of seismic isolation and methane mitigation, defunct waterproofing, and leaks, compromising their ability to host our visitors and hold our collections. To retrofit the existing buildings would be extremely costly while still failing to provide the setting most appropriate for the collections and visitors, according to the LACMA.

The new building totals 347,500 sq. ft., replacing approximately 393,000 sq. ft. of existing buildings. There will be approximately 110,000 sq. ft. of gallery space, replacing approximately 120,000 sq. ft. of gallery space. The project will also add 3.5 acres of new park and open space.

The building includes a new theater, education spaces, three restaurant/cafes, a museum shop, and covered multipurpose event spaces.

The total project budget is $650 million. Of the $650 million, the construction costs are estimated at $490 million.

Construction is set to begin in early 2020 and the new building is expected to be by the end of 2023.