In March 2027, the Getty Center is scheduled to close for one year for a renovation of its landmark campus overlooking the 405 Freeway in the Santa Monica Mountains. In conjunction with that plan, museum officials are now working on getting approvals for a makeover of the facility's front door.

Yesterday, the J. Paul Getty Trust filed an application with the Los Angeles Department of City Planning for a renovation of the Getty Center's existing north entry facility and tram station. The project will add new reconfigure the existing entry scheme, while also adding new restrooms, retail, and a café, and new landscaped and hardscaped areas.

Aerial view looking north at lower tram stationGehry Partners, LLP

Gehry Partners, LLP, the firm founded and helmed by the late Frank Gehry, is tapped to design the project which is described in findings as "bringing the Getty Center experience 'down the hill'".

the redesign would notably transform the currently utilitarian entrance to the tram station with a new grand staircase, covered by a clear glass canopy. 

The museum, open since 1997, draws 1.9 million visitors each year, including 75,000 students. A key component of the reconfigured entry way would streamline access for large groups, such as those visiting from schools.

View looking south at new canopy and staircaseGehry Partners, LLP

The overall Getty Center makeover, set for completion in Spring 2028, will also involve renovations to existing galleries, public spaces, and utilities.

The Getty Center is one of numerous Los Angeles area museums getting touch ups in advance of the influx of visitors expected with the 2028 Summer Olympics. The La Brea Tar Pits and George C. Page Museum has also announced plans for a one-year closure started later this year to allow a revamp.

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