Nearly 20 months after breaking ground, construction is coming to close for the $41-million renovation of the Music Center's central plaza.

The project, designed by Rios Clementi Hale Studios, is intended to create a more accessible front-door to the Music Center.  Besides widening and flattening the Grand Avenue entrance, the remodel of the plaza adds new escalators, relocates the Jacques Lipchitz-designed Peace On Earth State to the Hope Street side of the property, and retains its dancing fountain.

The redesign has expanded the plaza's total capacity to 5,000 people, allowing it to serve as a "fifth venue" for the Music Center campus, joining the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theater, and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The main staircase facing Grand Avenue has also been retooled to create a more fluid connection with Grand Park to the south, which was also designed by Rios Clementi Hale.

Five new buildings - including three restaurants, public restrooms, and a welcome center - have been added to the plaza.  Food-and-beverage offerings include the full-service restaurant Abernethy's, the Mullin Wine Bar, and a coffee bar operated by Go Get Em Tiger.