November 25, 2019
An update on LACMA’s ongoing campus transformation and plans for our new permanent collection building, the David Geffen Galleries.
As you are aware, we are preparing for construction, and as part of that work we will install a construction screen on the existing fence of the Cantor Sculpture Garden and remove the trees planted within. This garden previously housed the Rodin sculptures that have been removed in advance of construction. The screen fence, which will be installed this week, will provide for public safety and will be within the approved EIR project site plan.
In preparation for construction, the ailing facilities on our east campus have closed to the public. Currently we are beginning site work on LACMA’s campus in advance of construction and in preparation for temporary utility services. This requires the installation of a construction fence and removal of some landscape within the approved project boundaries along the northern edge of LACMA’s Hammer and Ahmanson buildings and including the path that runs in parallel. The fence will provide for public safety and will be within the approved EIR project site plan. We are working in close collaboration with the Natural History Museum to minimize impacts to the park.
In addition, new bike parking stations are being built on LACMA’s campus just northeast of Levitated Mass. The parking lot at Spaulding and Wilshire remains open and operational at this time (a small section is closed temporarily for soil testing).
Our west campus continues to thrive, with exhibitions—including artworks from the permanent collection—in BCAM and the Resnick Pavilion; Urban Light and Levitated Mass; robust education, music, and other public programming; and dining at Ray’s, Stark Bar, and LACMA Café, now located at the Smidt Welcome Plaza. The Boone Children’s Gallery is also continuing its family art-making programs in various locations on the west campus; please check out the new locations and hours on our website.