There is always something new in LA. The nation’s second largest city constantly recreates itself, always adding to its list of exciting attractions. The following is a brief synopsis of upcoming sites to see. (Contact names and numbers are for media use only.)
IN 2012
California Science Center (Downtown) – NASA announced that the space shuttle Endeavour will be transferred to the California Science Center in Los Angeles to begin its ultimate mission of inspiring current and future generations of innovators and explorers. It is expected to arrive at the Science Center in the fall, where it will be on view to the public in an Endeavour Display Pavilion, while a new Air and Space Center is being built. The new building, a 200,000-square-foot expansion envisioned as part of the Science Center's 25-year master plan, will feature Endeavour as the centerpiece, along with engaging, hands-on science exhibits. The space shuttle first flew in May 1992, replacing Challenger, which was lost in 1986. Endeavour's return to Southern California is a symbolic homecoming, as it was built in Palmdale, Calif., and often landed at nearby Edwards Air Force Base. Admission to the California Science Center is free and there is a nominal charge to see the Endeavour. Contact: Shell Amega, 888.690.6669, samega@cscmail.org; www.californiasciencecenter.org
FIGat7th (Downtown) – Brookfield Properties has begun renovation of the Downtown retail complex formerly known as 7th + Fig. Due for completion in fall 2012, the Gensler-designed, open-air shopping mall will feature a 500-seat indoor/outdoor dining area, a 60-foot-wide stairway and a glass canopy. Target and Gold's Gym will anchor the $40-million redevelopment project. Contact: Melissa Coley, Brookfield Office Properties, 212.417.7215, melissa.coley@brookfield.com; www.7fig.com
Grand Park (Downtown) — A 12- to-16-acre park unifying the landmark institutions in Los Angeles' Civic Center area will stretch down Bunker Hill from the Music Center to City Hall, passing between the county-owned buildings on Temple and First streets to the steps of City Hall. Design plans call for breaking the rectangular space into several mini-parks. The design by Rios Clementi Hale Studios includes retaining many existing mature trees. The $56-million project opened blocks one and two of Grand Park, from Grand Avenue to Hill Street on July 28, 2012. Blocks three and four of the park are scheduled to open October 6, 2012. Contact: Don McDivitt, 213.974.2620, info@lacounty.gov; http://civicpark.lacounty.gov
El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument’s “America Tropical” Mural (Downtown) — Painted in 1932 by David Alfaro Siqueiros on the second-story wall of Italian Hall on Olvera Street, "America Tropical", is an aesthetic and political mural that was whitewashed within a year of being completed. For 30 years, the City and the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) have been monitoring the mural, ensuring the safety of this historical monument of Los Angeles. "America Tropical" is one of only three murals painted by Siqueiros. An $8-million public-private investment has been made toward the completion of the mural's restoration, as well as construction of a protective shelter, viewing platform, and visitor bridge in the America Tropical Interpretive Center. The 80- by 18-foot mural in its historical context will provide an understanding of the social and political climate influencing public art in 1930s Los Angeles. Construction on the shelter and viewing platform began in September 2010, and the grand opening will take place Oct. 9, 2012. In advance of the opening will be many lead-up events, including a Siqueiros Opera, a screening of Jesus Trevino's 1971 film, "America Tropical", in which he interviews Siqueiros, a panel discussion with historian Dr. Irene Herner Reiss, who will lecture on Siqueiros in Los Angeles, and an interactive lecture series by performer Gregorio Luke. These activities will take place in late September or early October 2012. Contact: John Kopczynski, 213.485.8372, john.kopczynski@lacity.org; www.getty.edu/conservation
IN 2013
New Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX (LAX) — The $1.7-billion New Tom Bradley International Terminal will create a world-class terminal that offers better passenger convenience, amenities and services and solidifies LA’s role as an international gateway. The architectural design of the 1.2-million-square-foot facility, the centerpiece of LAX's multibillion-dollar LAneXt™ capital improvement awareness campaign, features arched stainless steel, stretching over column-free structures, mimicking the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Designed to achieve LEED Silver Certification, the New Tom Bradley International Terminal is anticipated to be completed in phases, with the West Gates and a Great Hall featuring dining, shopping and other passenger amenities scheduled to open in spring 2013 and East Gates and security and U.S. Customs and Immigration areas set for completion by the end of 2013. In total, the new terminal will offer 18 gates, nine of which will comfortably accommodate passenger loads for new-generation aircraft, such as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This is the largest public works project in LA history and will create 4,000 jobs over four years. Other components of LAX's capital improvement program include a $737-million renovation of the existing Tom Bradley International Terminal (completed in 2010); airport-wide elevator, escalator and moving walkway modernization; an airport-wide in-line baggage handling and screening system; renovations of Terminal 5 and 6; and a new runway lights system. Contact: Nancy Castles, 310.646.5260, ncastles@lawa.org; www.lawa.org
Natural History Museum (Downtown) — Spring 2013 will bring the opening of "Becoming Los Angeles," a permanent exhibit at the Natural History Museum focusing on environmental and cultural history in Southern California, including items from missions and an early oil pump. In 2012 and 2013, 3.5 acres of outdoor space will open. Called the North Campus, it will include an urban wilderness garden designed to attract birds, bees and bugs, plus a pond for native and non-native turtles, a vegetable garden and a 1913-style garden. Contact: Rachel Bauch, 310.882.4013, bauchr@ruderfinn.com; www.nhm.org
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (Westside) — A new $50-million venue for the performing arts is under construction. In addition to transforming and preserving the historic Beverly Hills post office into a 150-seat theater, the center will also include a 500-seat contemporary theater designed by Zoltan Pali of SPF:architects. The 1930s post office will be retained largely intact, and a city block will be transformed into a vibrant new cultural destination. The center is expected to open in fall 2013. Contact: Lou Moore, 310.246.3800; www.annenbergbh.com.
Long Beach Airport (Coastal) — Long Beach Airport (LGB) began construction of a new passenger concourse in December 2010, with completion expected in 2013. Offering a variety of new shopping destinations, the concourse will add 35,000 square feet, bringing the overall terminal area to 74,000 square feet. Featured in the new concourse will be a garden for native plant life and extensive exhibits highlighting LGB's history in the aviation industry. The aim of the $136 million improvement project is to modernize the facility without sacrificing its historic terminal or reputation among travelers for convenience. Included in the project is general rehabilitation and restoration of the airport's 1941 terminal building, including its architectural features; a new parking structure; development of solar power; an upgrade of the runway and taxiways; and(LEED) standards. Airlines that use Long Beach Airport: Jet Blue, US Airways, Delta and Alaska/Horizon, for service to more than a dozen U.S. destinations. Contact: Long Beach Airport Public Affairs, 562.570.2678; www.lgb.org
Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens (Downtown) — The LA Zoo has a new project on the drawing board: "Rain Forest of the Americas," which will feature species native to Central and South America. The hillside exhibit will be located near the current aviaries and will provide an immersion experience in the rain forest habitat. Construction started in 2011. Contact: Jason Jacobs, 323.644.4273, jason.jacobs@lacity.org; www.lazoo.org
Autry National Center (Downtown) —The Autry National Center has announced plans for a $6.6 million major renovation and reinstallation of first floor galleries and outdoor areas into interactive exhibitions and public spaces housed within the existing museum footprint. The renovation will highlight the history and culture of Native peoples and include two dedicated California Indian galleries and an indigenous teaching garden with bioregions and interpretive centers. It is closed to the public during the week for ongoing conservation of the collection. Contact: Yadhira De Leon, 323.667.2000, ext. 327; ydeleon@theautry.org; www.theautry.org
Natural History Museum (Downtown) — As part of the museum’s centennial celebration in 2013, more gallery spaces are being added at the Natural History Museum (NHM) for a total of 12 new galleries. NHM will also complete its new Exposition Boulevard entrance. Named the Otis Booth Pavilion, the $13-million glass structure will showcase one of the museum's signature specimens: a magnificent, 63-foot-long whale fin. The new entrance is projected for completion in November 2013. Contact: Rachel Bauch, 310.882.4013, bauchr@ruderfinn.com; www.nhm.org
Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (Downtown) — The only museum in Southern California dedicated to the Italian-American experience is being built in the historic Italian Hall adjacent to Olvera Street. The now-restored Italian Hall was constructed in 1908 as a social and cultural center for the Italian community in what was then the core of the city's Little Italy. The interactive museum will document the history and continuing contributions of Italian-Americans and highlight the once-vibrant Italian community in early Los Angeles with historical photographs and memorabilia, plus an oral history and research archive. The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA) was selected to receive a National Trust for Historic Preservation grant to help develop design and exhibit concepts. Due to open in 2013, it will be cooperatively administered by the Historic Italian Hall Foundation and the City of Los Angeles. Contact: Marianna Gatto, 213.485.8432, mariann.gatto@lacity.org; www.italianhall.org
The Huntington Library (San Gabriel Valley) — A sparkling-new renovation in the Main Exhibition Hall at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino is underway. The 2.5-million facelift will be designed so that visitors can better connect to history and literature. The library displays rare books and manuscripts from such luminaries as Chaucer, Shakespeare and Henry David Thoreau. The library’s incomparable collections of historical materials were once only available to scholars when the library first opened in 1920. Though the hall won’t reopen until fall 2013, one of the most treasured pieces in the collection, the Gutenberg Bible, will still be available to see in the Huntington Art Gallery. Also, other must-see items, including the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, a double-elephant folio edition of John James Audubon’s Birds of America, and rare early editions of William Shakespeare’s works, will come back on view late this summer in a portion of the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art. Contact: Thea M. Page, 626.405.2260; or Lisa Blackburn, 626.405.2140; www.huntington.org
2014 AND BEYOND
Museum of Neon Art (San Fernando Valley) — The Museum of Neon Art, MONA, has closed its Downtown location to prepare for its move to a larger location on Brand Boulevard across from the Americana at Brand in Glendale. The new, 10,000-square-foot museum site, opening in early 2014, will include permanent and rotating exhibition spaces and a neon fabricating facility, as well as a café and gift shop. It will create a permanent home for the Museum of Neon Art to fulfill its mission of "preserving, collecting, exhibiting and interpreting neon art" under one roof. The new MONA museum will serve as the arts anchor for Glendale's new Cultural Arts District. Designed by the Shimoda Design Group, the building's focal point is a dynamic glass light box and a soaring, iconic Diver sign perched atop it that will become a landmark on Brand Boulevard. MONA features a permanent collection of more than 50 vintage neon signs and changes exhibitions of contemporary neon art and kinetic art every six months. Contact: Kim Koga, executive director, 213.489.9918, info@neonmona.org; www.neonmona.org
The Broad Los Angeles (Downtown) — Architectural designs were unveiled in January 2011 for the Broad Los Angeles, the Broad Art Foundation's new, contemporary art museum in Downtown LA, to display Eli and Edythe Broad's extensive collection of contemporary art. The 120,000-square-foot museum is being designed by architects Diller Scofido + Renfro and is expected to cost $100 million and create more than 1,000 jobs. A highlight of the design will be a porous, honeycombed "veil" that will wrap the three-story building. The museum will be located across the street from Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), featuring almost an acre of column-free gallery space, a lecture hall for up to 200 people, a ground-floor multimedia gallery, and a public lobby with display space and a museum shop. Completion is expected in spring 2014. Contact: Karen Denne, 310.954.5058, kdenne@broadfoundation.org; www.broadartfoundation.com
Santa Monica Civic Center Parks (Coastal) — A new pair of connected parks in Santa Monica will soon occupy the former site of the Rand Corp. headquarters, facing Santa Monica's 1938 City Hall. The California Coastal Commission has approved the $46.1 million project, known under the working title Santa Monica Civic Center Parks and Palisades Garden Walk + Town Square. The project is comprised of six acres and is being created by the New York-based landscape architecture and urban-design firm James Corner Field Operations. The design calls for a series of undulating paths and sloping meadows that will connect raised overlooks and man-made valleys. The parks are a short walk from the beach and will be accessible via Metro's Expo Line, which is due to reach Colorado Boulevard and 4th Street by 2015. Contact: 310.458.8310, ccs@smgov.net; www.smciviccenterparks.com
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (Hollywood) — The much-anticipated Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (AMMP) is heading to the historic May Co. department store building at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, currently known as LACMA West. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences signed a memorandum of understanding Oct. 4, 2011, with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to move toward making the 1939 Art Deco building a unique cultural center to celebrate and explore how film has reflected and shaped world culture and to help visitors better understand what the movies have meant — and continue to mean — in our lives. The museum expects to feature permanent and rotating exhibits in the facility's 300,000 square feet. The new museum may open as early as 2014. Contact: Leslie Unger, 310.247.3090, lunger@oscars.org; www.moviemuseum.org
Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension (Citywide) — The Metro Gold Line, which provides rail transportation from Downtown to East Los Angeles and also to Pasadena, will be extended farther east. The Foothill Extension Phase 2A is an 11.5-mile extension with six stations in the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, and Azusa. Ground was broken in June 2010, and completion is scheduled for 2014. Phase 2B will take the Gold Line to Montclair, and Phase 2C will go to Ontario by approximately 2021. Contact: Dave Sotero/Marc Littman, 213.922.3007/213.922.2700, mediarelations@metro.net; www.metro.net
Port of Los Angeles (Coastal) — Phase I of San Pedro's Downtown Harbor waterfront development is now underway. The $38.5-million project includes a sunken promenade to allow pedestrian access to the water's edge and a town square. The port's most critical infrastructure project, the $21-million "water cut" project, which will cut into approximately 1.2 acres of existing waterfront land to create a new harbor inlet, is due to be finished in 2013. The promenade fronting the inlet and the surrounding town square is scheduled for completion in 2014 at a projected cost of $17.5 million. Contact: Arley M. Baker, 310.732.3093, abaker@portla.org; www.portoflosangeles.org
Los Angeles River Revitalization (Citywide) — A 20-year blueprint was created for development and management of the Los Angeles River, which was approved for implementation by the Los Angeles City Council. The plan calls for replacing much of the industrial land along the river with parks, housing and a natural environment, while retaining the river's flood-control function. The Los Angeles River has a compelling history and flows 51 miles through some of Southern California's most diverse communities. Contact: Tony Perez, 213.473.7001, tony.perez@council.lacity.org; www.lariver.org
Emerson College (Hollywood) — Los Angeles-based architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis has designed the new Emerson College in Hollywood on Sunset and Gordon. Emerson bought the Hollywood land in 2008, announced building plans in 2009, and broke ground in early March 2012. The 102,360-square-foot building will include student and faculty housing, admissions offices, retail space and the Emerson Cafe on Sunset. It will also have outdoor terraces and three levels of underground parking. Thom Mayne describes the building as "a pearl inside its shell," because the center is flanked by two 10-story glass and steel towers. Construction is set for completion by the end of 2013, and the college should be open in spring 2014. Contact: Carole McFall, carole_mcfall@emerson.edu; www.emerson.edu/la
Park 101 District (Downtown) — Park 101 is the latest project to transform Downtown Los Angeles into an expansive greenbelt of parks, open space and cultural amenities. The urban design plan is to cap the 101 Freeway in Downtown Los Angeles, which will reconnect the City's historic core, north of the freeway, with the $800 million over the course of 20 to 25 years but will generate millions in private investment. Stretching from the LA River past Grand Avenue, the completed project will reconnect the Civic Center with Union Station and Chinatown, spurring economic growth in an area that doesn't have any today. Planners have divided the scope into five phases. The first will be a $2.5-million effort to rework the entrance to Union Station and create a more fluid pedestrian path into El Pueblo. Next will come a $34-million phase that will cap the block between Main and Los Angeles, creating a pedestrian path from El Pueblo to the Civic Center. The third phase will cap three blocks of freeway and redevelop the parking lots west of El Pueblo into housing and office space. The fourth will give improvements east of Los Angeles and the final phase will add a freeway cap near Grand. Contact: Michael Miles, District 7 director, 213.897.3656; www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/travel/projects/park101
Los Angeles Bike Paths (Citywide) — Los Angeles is making way for 831 miles of new bikeways over the next two decades. The Bicycle Master Plan green-lights a $331-million investment that will greatly expand Los Angeles County's existing 144-mile bicycle network, making it more seamless and interconnected. Bicyclists countywide gave feedback at 32 public workshops, which were held in partnership with the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Metro, Caltrans, and the Federal Highway Administration. The Bicycle Master Plan is available at http://file.lacounty.gov/bos/supdocs/67036.pdf. Contact: Roxane Marquez, 213.974.4111.
The Forum (Inglewood) — The Forum in Inglewood, once home to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Kings, has a new owner with big plans. The Madison Square Garden Co., which owns Madison Square Garden Arena in New York, purchased the Forum for $23.5 million. In the fall, the company will announce further details about the renovation. But plans are on the books to spend $50 million and turn the Forum into a top-flight concert hall venue. Contact: Mikyl Cordova, 212.631.4337 or Kim Kerns, 212.465.6442; www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com
About The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board is a private, nonprofit business association whose primary mission is to market and promote Los Angeles as the premier site for leisure travel, meetings and conventions. Though not part of City government, Los Angeles Tourism is recognized as the City's official tourism marketing organization. For more information, visit the official visitor information website of Los Angeles at www.discoverLosAngeles.com. Please visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/LosAngelesFan or follow us on Twitter @discoverLA.
CONTACT US
Susan Lomax
Vice President
Communications
phn: 213/236-2397, fax: 213/624-9746
slomax@LATourism.org
Carol Martinez
Associate Vice President
Communications
phn: 213/236-2357, fax: 213/624-9746
cmartinez@LATourism.org