{"id":259786,"date":"2026-04-09T19:08:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T19:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/259786\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T19:08:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T19:08:09","slug":"getty-center-and-la-brea-tar-pits-museum-closing-for-renovation-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/259786\/","title":{"rendered":"Getty Center and La Brea Tar Pits museum closing for renovation projects"},"content":{"rendered":"

Both the iconic Getty Center<\/a>\u00a0and La Brea Tar Pits museum<\/a> will be closing for extensive renovation projects ahead of the LA28 Summer Olympic Games in 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Los<\/p>\n

The Getty Center in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, California, US, on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Benjamin Fanjoy \/ Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Getty Center year-long renovation<\/p>\n

In a news release<\/a>, Getty Center officials said that the well-known museum will be undergoing a massive modernization project, the first since opening in 1997.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The center will be closed to the public beginning on March 15, 2027, and is not slated to reopen until spring 2028, the release said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Getty is embarking on an exciting new chapter,” said a statement from Katherine E. Fleming, the president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust. “Our mission has always been to make art accessible to our Los Angeles community and visitors from around the world. In the coming years, guided by our commitment to All for Art, we will enhance the visitor experience across the Getty Center campus through reimagined spaces and new offerings, while prioritizing sustainability.”<\/p>\n

Officials said that the modernization project will include enhancements like reimagined gallery spaces, a renovated Welcome Hall that will feature a new cafe bookstore and a retail shop, improvements to buildings and public spaces, increased accessibility and upgrades to the tram system that brings visitors to the center and improved cell phone and WiFi services.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some improvement projects are already underway, officials said, noting that galleries have been closed to accommodate work on their heating and air conditioning systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Getty Center officials said that they would open a “programming space” across the street on Sepulveda Boulevard during the closure.<\/p>\n

“This venue will host a slate of special programs throughout the closure and will remain a dedicated program space once the Center reopens,” the release said. “Getty has also acquired a property in Westwood as a long-term investment in housing for its scholar programs. Early building concepts are underway for the site, which is located near the new planned Metro stop at Westwood and Wilshire.”<\/p>\n

Officials noted that the Getty Villa, located in the Pacific Palisades, would remain open as usual while the modernization project is completed at the Getty Center. During that time, some paintings selected by curators will be featured at the Getty Villa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We look forward to welcoming visitors back in spring 2028, in time to celebrate the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles and experience our more accessible, resilient and dynamic campus,” Fleming’s statement said.<\/p>\n

\"academy<\/p>\n

Renzo Pianos Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, as seen from the La Brea Tar Pits,\u00a0 on Monday, Sept. 13, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA.<\/p>\n

Myung J. Chun\/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images<\/p>\n

George C. Page Museum renovation at La Brea Tar Pits<\/p>\n

At the same time, the George C. Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits will be closing for a massive overhaul, marking the first renovation project since it opened in 1977, according to a news release<\/a> shared by the organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The museum will be closed to the public beginning on July 6, and will remain closed for approximately two years, the release said. The renovations are being made through the more than $131 million raised in a fundraising effort, which has an end goal of $240 million, according to officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“As we prepare the La Brea Tar Pits transformation, I encourage everyone to visit this cultural icon and experience firsthand what makes this site unlike any in the world,” said a statement from Lori Bettison-Varga, the President and Director of the National History Museums of Los Angeles County. “This is the largest capital investment in NHM’s history, and it reflects an extraordinary commitment from our civic and philanthropic partners to the future of La Brea Tar Pits. Our responsibility is not only to preserve the fossils in our care, but to ensure that the knowledge they hold is accessible to all.”<\/p>\n

Officials said that the plan was to fully reopen by summer 2028, when the LA28 Summer Olympic Games descend on Southern California.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Work at the Page Museum aims to “modernize and improve access to the building, including visible research laboratories, new collections storage and displays, an immersive theater, and a roof terrace with views of the park and the museum’s historic atrium and frieze,” the release said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Officials said that the scientific research conducted on site will continue throughout the closure, as will the educational programming like behind-the-scenes tours and school activities. During the closure, the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park will offer programs focused on Ice Age research at the tar pits.<\/p>\n

\n More from CBS News\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Both the iconic Getty Center\u00a0and La Brea Tar Pits museum will be closing for extensive renovation projects ahead…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":259787,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[48,52,51,47,50,49],"class_list":{"0":"post-259786","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-la","9":"tag-la-headlines","10":"tag-la-news","11":"tag-los-angeles","12":"tag-los-angeles-headlines","13":"tag-los-angeles-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}