In Exposition Park, the California Science Center has topped out on the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, a $400-million expansion that will serve as the permanent home of Space Shuttle Endeavor.

The 200,000-square-foot structure, located just west of Figueroa Street, is composed of a skeleton of diagonally intersecting beams which will fully support the 20-story building's exterior. That allows for an interior free of columns, as well as unobstructed views of the shuttle.

Final beam in place at the Samuel Oschin Air and Space CenterGary Leonard

"The California Science Center is fortunate to have a remarkable team that has helped us achieve this historic milestone. We thank and commend our dedicated staff and our incredible partners: MATT Construction; ZGF, our architects; Arup, our building engineers; and Plas-Tal Manufacturing, our steel fabricator; whose years of careful planning and expertise have made every stage of this complex and unprecedented operation a possibility," shared California Science Center president and chief executive officer Jeffrey Rudolph in a news release. "Together, we've worked to create an iconic new landmark in Los Angeles that will inspire future generations of scientists, engineers, and explorers." 

The interior of the building is to be divided into three different spaces, including the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, the Korean Air Aviation Gallery, and the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.

Aerial View of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space CenterZGF

Completion of the building is on track to occur in mid-2025, and the center is slated to open for visitors after installation of exhibits within a few years. General admission is to be free to the public.

The project is one of two notable additions now taking shape within state-owned Exposition Park, joining the $1-billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art which is now under construction on Vermont Avenue to the west. Plans also call for undergrounding 11 acres of parking at the southern edge of the park to create new green space and administrative offices before the 2028 Summer Olympics.

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