LOS ANGELES — There is always something new in LA. The nation’s second-largest city constantly recreates itself, always adding to its list of exciting attractions. The following is a brief synopsis of upcoming sites to see. (Contact names and numbers are for media use only.)
San Pedro Waterfront Enhancement Projects (Coastal) - There are several projects along the San Pedro Waterfront that are expected to be completed by the end of 2008. These projects are designed to restore and connect existing recreational waterfront areas without extensive planning and redesign. Included in these projects are: enhancements to the Harbor Boulevard Streetscape, to include improved sidewalks, crosswalks and lighting extending from 5th Street to 7th Street; creation of a pedestrian-oriented “town square” adjacent to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, with widened sidewalks, a resurfaced parking area and informational signage; construction of a 450-space parking lot to provide overflow parking for San Pedro waterfront events and Ports O’ Call Village; and construction of a viewing pier along the Main Channel adjacent to historic Warehouse No. 1. Contact: Theresa Adams Lopez, 310.732.3507; e-mail: tadams-lopez@portla.org; www.portoflosangeles.org
L.A. LIVE Sports and Entertainment District (Downtown) - New restaurants will all be part of L.A. LIVE in early 2009. Joining the variety of restaurants already open at L.A. LIVE will be the casual, yet upscale, Rock’N Fish, the Los Angeles-based nouveau-Japanese sensation Katsuya, authentic Mexican food Rosa Mexicano, the unique South Pacific bar and restaurant Trader Vic’s, and the classic American bar-and-grill Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill. L.A. LIVE is Downtown's 27-acre entertainment, sports and residential district, anchored by NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE, STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center. Contact: Michael Roth, 213.742.7155; e-mail: mroth@staplescenter.com; www.aegworldwide.com
Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens (San Gabriel Valley) -- The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens will open its newly expanded Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art on May 30, 2009, to reveal a completely transformed space in which its growing American art collection will be displayed in an area more than twice its previous size. With 16,379 square feet of reconfigured and redesigned galleries, the new area—comprising the Virginia Steele Scott Gallery, the previous home of The Huntington’s American art collection; and the Lois and Robert F. Erburu Gallery, which previously displayed European works—will be one of the largest presentations in Southern California of American art from the colonial period through the mid-20th-century. Contact: Thea M. Page, 626.405.2260; e-mail: tpage@huntington.org; www.huntington.org
Madame Tussauds Hollywood (Hollywood) - Located in the heart of Hollywood adjacent to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Madame Tussauds Hollywood is scheduled to open in summer 2009 as the first Madame Tussauds to be built from the ground up in the 200-year history of the company. The 44,000-square-foot, $55 million, three-story building will be home to celebrity wax figures that can cost in upwards of $150,000 each to create. Set in 12 themed areas (The Red Carpet, Party, Spirit of Hollywood, Westerns, Crime, Modern Classics, Making Movies, Sport, Action Heroes, Behind the Scenes and Awards Ceremony), more than 80 figures will be on display. Contact: Jerry Brown, 323.993.3000, e-mail: jbrown@solterspr.com; www.madametussauds.com/hollywood
Hollywood & Vine Development (Hollywood) - The much-anticipated $600 million Hollywood and Vine mixed-use development is scheduled to be completed in mid-2009. It will be the site of a 305-room W Hotel, 143 W Residences, 375 luxury rental apartments (including 78 affordable units), approximately 50,000 square feet of retail space and improvements to the transit plaza at the Metro Red Line Station. The W Hotel is expected to have a private rooftop pool and gym, a rooftop bar, a signature restaurant and a 9,200-square-foot spa. The development encompasses a full city block surrounded by Hollywood Blvd., Vine St., Selma Ave. and Argyle Ave. The only original structure to remain is the historic Taft Building. The project is being developed by Gatehouse Capital Corp. and Legacy Partners. Contact: Snowden Bishop, 310.376.0296, ext. 21; e-mail: sbishop@nelsongilmore.com; www.legacypartners.com; www.crala.com; www.welcometowhotels.com
The Annenberg Space for Photography (Westside) -- The Annenberg Space for Photography, opening in spring 2009, will be a 10,000-square-foot facility featuring a state-of-the-art digital projection gallery along with a traditional print exhibit area. The combination of these galleries will enable the Annenberg Space for Photography to show an unprecedented number of images to the general public in a dynamic environment. The Annenberg Space for Photography’s opening exhibit will be a group show of eight Los Angeles-based photographers in the genres of fine art, architecture, documentary, fashion, photojournalism and celebrity portraits. General admission to the Annenberg Space for Photography will be free. Contact: Jennifer Gross, Evolutionary Media Group, 323.658.8700; e-mail: jennifer@evolutionarymediagroup.com; www.annenbergfoundation.org
Santa Monica Place (Westside) – In early 2008, a major makeover began at Santa Monica Place, the Frank Gehry-designed shopping center located about a block from Santa Monica Beach. The mall's owners, who mostly demolished the original structure, say that upon completion the new center will differ vastly from its predecessor and sport a Bloomingdale's department store instead of longtime anchor Macy's. With flourishes of curved shining material unwinding from a third-story plaza, the $155-million renovation will allow patrons to see the nearby ocean from its rooftop dining level. The grand re-opening of the mall is scheduled for fall 2009. Contact: Ashley Walkley, 310.394.5451; e-mail: ashley.walkley@macerich.com; www.santamonicaplace.com
Ray Charles Memorial Library (Downtown) - The legendary musician, Ray Charles, will soon have a memorial library in his name on the site of his historic Los Angeles studios. Charles’s famed recording studios on the site are also being upgraded and, for the first time, will be made available to outside producers. The three-story, 3,000-square-foot library is scheduled to open in 2009. It will be a combination library, exhibit space, educational center and working studio offices. Contact: Jerry Digney, 323.651.9300; e-mail: jerry@solterspr.com; www.solterspr.com
Angels Flight to Return (Downtown) - The LA landmark dubbed “the shortest railway in the world,” is scheduled to open in 2009. Located on the corner of 4th and Hill, Angels Flight’s $2.6 million restoration will include a new drive system and safety improvements. The original cars, Olivet and Sinai, will return to the funicular; transporting Angelenos and visitors between the historic Downtown core along Hill Street and the offices and condos on Bunker Hill. Contact: John Welborne, 323.935.1914; e-mail: john@welborne.net
California Science Center (Downtown) - The new World of Ecology is considered the most ambitious component of a 25-year master plan to expand the California Science Center. The Phase II project will fuse the live-habitat concept of zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens with the interactive learning focus found in leading science centers and museums. When completed in 2009, the California Science Center will be nearly double in size, with an additional 170,000 square feet. Contact: Shell Amega, 213.744.7496; email: samega@cscmail.org; www.californiasciencecenter.org
Children’s Museum of Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley) - The Children’s Museum of Los Angeles will be a 60,000-square-foot building that will house 30,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and workshops. Expected to open in 2009, it will be located at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area. The 1,400-acre site also is home to a new library, an aquatic center, riding stables, a golf course and hiking trails. After a national search, the Museum's Board of Governors chose the world-renowned exhibit design firm, Edwin Schlossberg Incorporated, to invent, design and fabricate this hands-on, participatory museum. Sarah Graham, of Angelil/Graham/Pfenninger/Scholl, was chosen from a large field of Southern California architects to design the building. The children’s museum will be modeled after an ecosystem with a focus on earth, air, fire and water. Kids will explore the museum via “Big Fun Cool Thing,” a conveyor system powered by kids. Contact: Dana Katz, 818.686.9280; e-mail: dana@childrensmuseumla.org www.childrensmuseumla.org
Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension Project (Citywide) - The Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension, which will feature eight stations (Little Tokyo/Arts District, Pico Aliso, Mariachi Plaza, Soto, Indiana, Maravilla, East Los Angeles Civic Center and Atlantic/Pomona) will span six miles from Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles via the Arts District/Little Tokyo and Boyle Heights to Atlantic/Pomona Boulevards in East Los Angeles. Construction of the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension light rail project is more than 80 percent complete and scheduled to open on time in mid-2009. Contact: Dave Sotero/ Marc Littman, 213.922.3007/ 213.922.2700; e-mail: mediarelations@metro.net; www.metro.net
“America Tropical,” Olvera Street’s mural, to be restored (Downtown) - Painted in 1932 by David Alfaro Siqueiros on the second-story wall of Italian Hall on Olvera Street, “America Tropical” is an aesthetic and political mural that was painted over within a year of being completed. For 20 years, the city and the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) have been monitoring the mural, ensuring the safety of this historical monument of the city of Los Angeles. A $7.8 million public-private investment has been made toward the completion of the mural’s restoration, as well as construction of a protective shelter, viewing platform, visitor bridge and an interpretive center to depict the mural in its historical context, with the benefit of showing the advancements in art that the mural represents. Expected to be completed in late 2009, “America Tropical” will be available for public viewing. Contact: John Kopczynski, 213.485.8372; e-mail john.kopczynski@lacity.org ; www.getty.edu/conservation/field_projects/siqueiros/index.html
Ring Festival LA (Citywide) -- More than a century ago, composer Richard Wagner conceived his epic four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen as a festival event that completely engaged the city of Bayreuth, Germany. In 2010, LA Opera will join forces with more than 50 cultural and educational institutions in Los Angeles to stage Ring Festival LA. Ring Festival LA events will take place in a wide variety of venues throughout Southern California from April 15 through June 30, 2010, with each organization providing its own unique point of view on the influences of Wagner's art and philosophy from the 19th century to the present day. Tickets for LA Opera's Ring cycle can be purchased online at www.LAOperaRing.com or by calling (213) 972-8001. Contact: Gary W. Murphy, 213.972.7554; e-mail: gmurphy@laopera.com; www.LAOperaRing.com
Los Angeles County Museum of Art Pavilion (Westside) – A new Renzo Piano-designed pavilion will be part of Phase II of LACMA’s ongoing Transformation, a campaign to unify the museum’s campus and refurbish and expand its gallery spaces. The new pavilion will be immediately north of the $56-million Broad Contemporary Art Museum which opened in February. The Resnick Pavilion, named after Los Angeles-based philanthropists Lynda and Steward Resnick will be a single-story, glass and stone-enclosed structure intended to house special exhibitions, freeing up existing gallery space for LACMA’s robust permanent collection. The new pavilion is expected to open in mid-2010. Contact: Barbara Pflaumer, 323.932.5881; e-mail: bpflaumer@lacma.org. www.lacma.org
Cirque du Soleil at Kodak Theatre (Hollywood) – Cirque du Soleil and CIM Group have announced that Cirque du Soleil will open a major new show at Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards®, in 2010. The $100 million production is the centerpiece of a 10-year agreement between the two companies. A cast of 75 performing artists will present the show in the 3,400-seat theatre 368 times a year, and while few details about the production’s content are available at this time, Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté announced that it would focus on Hollywood’s place in the history of cinema. Since its debut in Los Angeles 20 years ago, Cirque du Soleil has brought nine touring shows to the area. During this time, more than three million people have attended 1,360 performances. Contact: Donald Wilson, M. Craig & Associates, 310.899.2900; e-mail: elliot68@aol.com; www.cimgroup.com; www.cirquedusoleil.com; www.kodaktheatre.com
Wilshire Boulevard Temple (Westside) -- The landmark Wilshire Boulevard Temple, the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angeles, is beginning a multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion. The project will include renovation of the historic building, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, construction of a six-story parking structure, a K-6 day school, a parenting center, and a café. The sanctuary is tentatively scheduled to close after the High Holy Days in 2010 and reopen 18 months to two years later. Contact: Jessica Accamando, 213.388.2401; e-mail: jaccamando@wbtla.org. www.wilshireboulevardtemple.org
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (Hollywood) – The much-anticipated $350 million Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (AMMP) is scheduled to begin construction on more than six acres of land in two years with an anticipated opening in 2012. The mission of AMMP is to create a place to celebrate and explore how film has reflected and shaped world culture, and to help visitors better understand what the movies have meant - and continue to mean - in our lives. The museum is currently working with exhibit design firms to develop distinctive, enriching and fun exhibits that will take visitors through the history of film, the process of filmmaking and, of course, the excitement of the Academy Awards. AMMP will be designed by the French architecture firm Atelier Christian de Portzamparc. Contact: Taylor Moyé, 310.247.3090; e-mail: tmoye@oscars.org: www.moviemuseum.org
California State University, Northridge (San Fernando Valley) - As part of a unique, new initiative to explore arts partnerships between California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and the Music Center, a new $125 million, 1,700- seat Performing Arts Center will be built on the university campus. Designed by Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc. (HGA), the new center will serve as a cultural and economic landmark for the San Fernando Valley. It will include sophisticated features such as the ability to acoustically tune its main performance hall to fit particular presentations, whether they are music, dance, theater, films or speakers. The performance hall also will be large enough to accommodate full-scale Broadway productions and operas, opening the Valley to such shows for the first time. Upon its opening, the Valley Performing Arts Center will be the largest arts venue in the area. It also will serve as a major arts education center for local students and the community. Construction is expected to be completed by 2010. Contact: Carmen Chandler, 818.677.2130; e-mail: carmen.chandler@csun.edu; www.csun.edu
Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens (Downtown) -- The L.A. Zoo’s new Reptile and Amphibian House is scheduled to open in mid 2010 and will include the facilities for the Zoo to work with over twenty species of amphibians. Planned species for the new conservation facility will include poison dart frogs, giant salamanders, Madagascar mantella frogs and much more. In addition to working with species on Zoo grounds, the Zoo supports field projects collaborating with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, San Diego Zoo and Fresno Chaffee Zoo towards the conservation of the mountain yellow-legged frog. Contact: Jason Jacobs, 323.644.4273; e-mail: Jason.Jacobs@lacity.org www.lazoo.org
L.A. LIVE Sports and Entertainment District (Downtown) - In 2010, Downtown will have two new luxury hotels located at the L.A. LIVE complex: a 123-room boutique Ritz-Carlton and an 878-room JW Marriott. The Ritz-Carlton also has 224 Ritz-Carlton Residences available for purchase. When completed, L.A. LIVE is expected to draw more than 13.5 million visitors annually. It is also expected to have an economic impact of more than $10 billion, create more than 25,000 jobs and produce more than $18 million in new annual tax revenue. Contact: Erin Barrier, Golin Harris, 213.623.4200, ebarrier@golinharris.com www.aegworldwide.com/04_future/losangeles.html.
Cinematographer Organization to Add Museum, Meeting Space (Hollywood) - The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) will be implementing a $6 million expansion of its headquarters. Ground-breaking is expected by the end of 2008. The new building will house a museum focusing on the history of cinematography and feature equipment including vintage cameras from 1909 to the present. The ASC also will be adding an educational facility that will include a screening room. Contact: Brett Grauman, 323.969.4333. www.theasc.com
The Grand (Downtown) - The Related Companies, the New York-based developer that built the new Time Warner Center in New York City, has been selected to transform Downtown Los Angeles’ Grand Avenue into a major center of activity where people live, dine, shop and play. The $3 billion project is anticipated to encompass 3.2 million square feet around the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Bunker Hill, including a 16-acre park that will connect the Music Center with City Hall. The Korean investment firm Honua Group will also invest $100 million in capital funds in the first phase of the project. The new investor must be approved by the Community Redevelopment Agency, the county Board of Supervisors and the joint city-county board overseeing the project. Construction could begin by the end of 2010. Among the architects working with The Related Companies on The Grand design are Santa Monica-based Morphosis and Pritzker-Prize winning architect Frank Gehry, who also designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Contact: Karen Diehl 310.396.2400; e-mail: kdiehl@cswpr.com; www.grandavenuecommittee.org
Tom Bradley International Terminal Refurbishment at LAX (Coastal) – Opened in 1984, the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX (TBIT) is undergoing a much anticipated renovation program designed to make traveling through this international gateway safer, faster and more comfortable. Construction will include major interior renovations to the departures/ticketing lobbies, boarding gate areas including a New Large Aircraft gate, customs and immigration arrivals hall, arrivals corridors, arrivals waiting area (meet-and-greet), and airline first class/business class lounges. The largest single component of the overall program will add 45,000 square feet to house a new in-line, checked-baggage security screening facility. The new facility is expected to reduce passenger congestion in the airline ticketing lobby by removing the many van-sized, explosive detection machines now located in the lobby. Passengers will be able to check their luggage at ticketing counters, from where luggage will be conveyed to behind-the-scenes explosive detection machines and then transported to flights. A second New Large Aircraft boarding gate and double-deck passenger seating area is being built at Gate 123 to accommodate the new generation of jets such as the Airbus A380. The three-year project, with an estimated cost of $723.5 million, is expected to be completed by 2010. LAX is the fifth busiest airport in the world with 53 percent of LAX passengers being served by TBIT. Contact: Nancy Castles, LAWA, 310.646.5260; e-mail: ncastles@lawa.org; www.lawa.org
Los Angeles River Revitalization (Citywide) - An 18-month revitalization planning process was completed in May 2007 and a 20-year blueprint was created for development and management of the Los Angeles River, which was approved for implementation by the Los Angeles City Council. The plan calls for replacing much of the industrial land along the river with parks, housing and a natural environment, while retaining the river’s flood-control function. The Los Angeles River has a compelling history and flows 51 miles through some of Southern California’s most diverse communities. Contact: Tony Perez, 213.473.7001; e-mail: tony.perez@council.lacity.org
Metro Expo Line Downtown Extension Project (Citywide) -- The Los Angeles Metro Transportation Authority is working on the Metro Expo Line, the long-awaited line connecting Downtown Los Angeles with Culver City. When the line opens in 2010, the Expo Line will join the Metro Rail/Fixed Guideway network of 87.6 miles of route service in Los Angeles County. Metro Rail customers will also be able to directly connect with the Metro Purple and Metro Red Line in Downtown Los Angeles at 7th Street/Metro Center. Contact: Dave Sotero/ Marc Littman, 213.922.3007/ 213.922.2700; e-mail: mediarelations@metro.net; www.metro.net
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust (Los Angeles) -- On Jan. 25, 2008, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, founded in 1961, celebrated its ceremonial groundbreaking for its new permanent home in Pan Pacific Park. Acclaimed architect Hagy Belzberg presented the model and images of the impressive design for the new building. Construction is expected to be complete by 2010. Contact: Amy Cabranes, 323.651.3704, amy@lamoth.org; www.lamoth.org
Natural History Museum (Downtown) - The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, located in Exposition Park, is currently undergoing a three-year, $84 million renovation. Galleries in the historic rotunda, including Native American Cultures and the Dinosaur Hall, are temporarily closed during the renovation. The first phase of the renovation was just completed with the cleaning and refurbishing of the fragile stained-glass skylight that crowns the museum’s 57-foot high rotunda. The infrastructure of the entire building, built in 1913, will be completely refurbished and seismically retrofitted. The museum and a new fossil hall are expected to reopen in 2011. Designs for new exhibits are to be revealed later this year. Contact: Rachel Bauch, 310.882.4013, e-mail: bauchr@ruderfinn.com.
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