At its meeting on Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt a final environmental impact report for the planned makeover of the La Brea Tar Pit and George C. Page Museum campus on the Miracle Mile. 

Aerial view of the La Brea Tar Pits and George C. Page Museum looking northeastWeiss/Manfredi

The approved project, which was Alternative 3 in the environmental study, calls for a dramatic makeover of the 13-acre property located in Hancock Park. Billed as the world's only continuously active paleontological excavation site in a major urban area, the planned renovation is intended to accommodate upwards of 800,000 visitors to the campus each year, increasing exhibition space by roughly 20 percent. According to a staff report, components of Alternative 3 include:

  • A renovation of the Page Museum within its existing 63,000-square-foot footprint, completing deferred maintenance and upgrading the structure to modern building code standards. Plans call for a reorganization of the space to better display the museum's collection to visitors while also creating more space for researchers; 
  • Retaining the museum's existing open-air courtyard and steel-grid roof; Addition of a new museum building with 40,000 square feet to the northwest of the Page Museum, including a new cafe; 
  • Reorganizing the location of spaces including the Page Museum theater, classrooms, and retail store; 
  • Reconfiguring on-site surface parking; 
  • Reconfiguring the main entrance of the Page Museum as an outdoor classroom lined with trees and stepped seating; 
  • A new breezeway connecting the Page Museum and new building; Removing a portion of the berm  at the northwest corner of the building to accommodate a new ADA-compliant entrance to the Page Museum; 

Wilshire GatewayWeiss/Manfredi

  • Renovating the existing entrance to the La Brea Tar Pits at Wilshire Boulevard and Curson Avenue with a shaded canopy and welcome pavilion; 
  • Renovating entrance at 6th Street and adjacent to LACMA service drive with shaded canopy and welcome pavilion; 
  • Reconfiguring existing pedestrian paths for ADA compliance and to better connect green spaces in Hancock Park; 
  • Renovating excavation compound for research and education purposes; 
  • New landscaping  and vegetation.

Weiss/Manfredi headlined the design team for the master plan project, along with designer Karin Fong of imaginary forces, Robert Perry of Perry and Associates Collaborative, paleobotanist Carole Gee, artist Mark Dion, and designer Michael Bierut of Pentagram. Architect Brenda Levin was also involved in the master plan.

Pedestrian pathway

The Board of Supervisors has dedicated a total of $22 million to the project thus far, which has gone to conceptual and schematic design services. The Museum Foundation which backs the project is currently in the process of establishing fundraising goals to cover the bulk of construction costs. A staff report indicates that the Museum Foundation is expected to request additional financial support from the County in fiscal year 2027-28.

A makeover of the La Brea Tar Pits, which is expected to occur in phases over a roughly seven-year period, would ensure that museum row continues to see construction in the years ahead. Next door, work is currently underway for LACMA's David Geffen Galleries, a Peter Zumthor-designed structure which spans across Wilshire Boulevard.

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