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.)
Debuting in 2009
Madame Tussauds Hollywood (Hollywood) – Located in the heart of Hollywood adjacent to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Madame Tussauds Hollywood will open August 1 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 more than 100 celebrity wax figures that can cost upwards of $300,000 each to create. The wax figures will be artfully displayed in 18 themed areas including, The Red Carpet, A-List Party, Spirit of Hollywood, Westerns, Crime, Modern Classics, Making Movies, American Idol, Sport, Action Heroes, Behind the Scenes and Awards Ceremony. Contact: Chris Bess, 213.595.5505, e-mail: chris.bess@merlinentertainments.biz ; www.madametussauds.com
Los Angeles Philharmonic (Downtown) – Beginning on September 21, 2009, the start of the 2009/10 season, Gustavo Dudamel will be the new Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. During his first season as Music Director, the 28-year old, Venezuelan conductor will conduct 10 weeks, plus summer concerts at the Hollywood Bowl; and in years two through five, he will increase to 14 weeks, plus Hollywood Bowl concerts and touring. Dudamel launches his music directorship with ¡Bienvenido Gustavo!, a free concert and festival for the community at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, October 3, 2009. Contact: Sophie Jefferies, 213.972.3422; e-mail: sjefferies@laphil.org; www.laphil.com
Museum of Flying (Westside) – A new Museum of Flying is being built on Airport Avenue on the south side of Santa Monica Airport adjacent to the historic DC-3 Monument. The target date for its opening is December 17, 2009. The new museum will focus on the Douglas Aircraft Company and the history of the Santa Monica Airport. The museum will house about 20 aircraft from the original collection and the centerpiece will be the Douglas World Cruiser. December 17, 2009 is being targeted as the opening date for the museum since the Wright brothers took their historic flight on that day in 1903 and on the same day in 1935 the DC-3 took its first flight. The Airport’s original Museum of Flying opened in 1989, and then closed in July of 2002. Contact: Dan Ryan, 310.310.1702; e-mail: dryan@museumofflying.com; www.museumofflying.com
L.A. LIVE Sports and Entertainment District (Downtown) – Several new restaurants are already part of L.A. LIVE, Downtown's 27-acre entertainment, sports and residential district, anchored by NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE, STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center. The authentic Mexican food Rosa Mexicano is opening in summer 2009. In addition, the West coast flagship for Regal Cinemas will open at L.A. LIVE in late 2009 and will include 140,000 square feet of state-of-the-art cinema with 14 screens and 3,800 seats including an 800-seat house. It is also expected that the theaters will be utilized during the day for corporate presentations and break out space, in addition to showing film premieres. Contact: Michael Roth, 213.742.7155; e-mail: mroth@staplescenter.com; www.lalive.com
Red Line Debuts New “Hollywood on-location” Walking Tour (Downtown) – In fall 2009, Red Line Tours will introduce its new “Hollywood on-location” tour. Located in Downtown LA, the new "Hollywood on-location" tour will take participants to and through the locations where Transformers, Mission Impossible, Dreamgirls, Benjamin Button, Fast & the Furious, Bladerunner and thousands more movies were filmed. Using Red Line's innovative "Live-Audio" head-set listening system, participants will hear the movie soundtracks as they experience the living sets -- such as the Bradbury Building, which was featured in Bladerunner, and the Theatre District, which appeared in Transformers -- as well as intriguing history and insider facts from the Red Line guides. The tour will be offered daily at 2 p.m. Contact: Tony Hoover, 323.371.0373; e-mail: tony@redlinetours.com; www.redlinetours.com
Angels Flight to Return (Downtown) – The LA landmark, dubbed “the shortest railway in the world,” will re-open in summer 2009. Located on the corner of 4th and Hill, Angels Flight’s $3.5 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; www.angelsflight.com
Cirque du Soleil (Westside) – The Cirque du Soleil production of KOOZA opens October 16 under the blue and yellow Grand Chapiteau (big top) at the Santa Monica Pier. KOOZA tells the story of The Innocent, a loner who is searching for his place in the world. The visually stimulating story is told through a combination of two circus traditions - acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. Contact: Maria Losch Rohloff, Losch Public Relations, 310.450.7320, e-mail: maria@loschpr.com; www.santamonica.com
Hollywood & Vine Development (Hollywood) – The much-anticipated $600 million Hollywood and Vine mixed-use development is scheduled to be completed in fall 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, opening October 29, 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
Venice Skate Park (Coastal) – Known for being a popular destination for skateboarders and skaters from around the world, Venice Beach will open a 16,000 square foot state-of-the-art skate park facility in November. This $2 million project will include installation of an entry plaza and surrounding walls, construction of concrete walkways, removal of existing rock revetment at the site, restoration of power to an existing lifeguard tower and landscaping and irrigation. Contact: Nate Kaplan, 213.473-7011; nate.kaplan@lacity.org; www.lacity.org/council/cd11/
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, 323.993.3000; e-mail: jerry@solterspr.com; www.solterspr.com
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) will span six miles from Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles via the Little Tokyo/Arts District 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 97 percent complete and scheduled to open on time in late-summer 2009. Contact: Jose Ubaldo, 213.922.3087; e-mail: ubaldoj@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
Debuting in 2010
Sturt Haaga Gallery of Art at Descanso Gardens (San Gabriel Valley) – Descanso Gardens will break ground this month for a state-of-the-art, environmentally-friendly art gallery that has been designed to allow local, national and internationally recognized artists to exhibit their work in Descanso’s unique natural setting. Located adjacent to the historic Boddy House, the Sturt Haaga Gallery of Art at Descanso Gardens consists of a major rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of the current garage structure and the creation of an additional exhibit space. The goal is to have the 2,800 sq. ft. art gallery completed by March 2010, to coincide with the botanical gardens’ annual Spring Show festival.
Funded entirely by Heather Sturt Haaga and Paul Haaga, Jr. of La Canada-Flintridge, the Sturt Haaga Gallery’s estimated cost is $2.1 million. Contact: Brenda Rees, 818.949.7984; e-mail: PR@descancsogardens.org; www.descansogardens.org
Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (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
Santa Monica Place (Westside) – In early 2008, a major makeover began at Santa Monica Place with 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 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 mid-2010. Contact: Ashley Walkley, 310.394.5451; e-mail: ashley.walkley@macerich.com; www.santamonicaplace.com
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
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, the California Science Center will be nearly double in size, with an additional 170,000 square feet. Construction for the World of Ecology will be complete in June 2009, with the exhibits opening to the public in spring 2010. Contact: Shell Amega, 213.744.7496; email: samega@cscmail.org; www.californiasciencecenter.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. The music center is scheduled to be open to the public in 2010. Contact: Carmen Chandler, 818.677.2130; e-mail: carmen.chandler@csun.edu; www.csun.edu
L.A. LIVE Sports and Entertainment District (Downtown) – In March 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. 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, brett@ascmag.com; www.theasc.com
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 Lines 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
2011 and Beyond
Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens (Downtown) – The L.A. Zoo’s new Reptile and Amphibian House is scheduled to open in 2011 and will include 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
Cirque du Soleil at Kodak Theatre (Hollywood) – Cirque du Soleil and CIM Group has announced that Cirque du Soleil will open a major new show at Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards®, in 2011. 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
Disney Cruise Line (Beaches) –The Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro will become home port for the Disney Cruise Line ship Disney Wonder, beginning in 2011. The contract will include a three-year extension option, which would allow the Disney Wonder to operate out of the port for a total of five years. If approved, the new Disney Wonder sailings could generate more than 250,000 guests passing through the Port of Los Angeles over a five-year period. Contact: Arley Baker, Port of Los Angeles, 310.732.3093; e-mail: abaker@portla.org; www.portoflosangeles.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
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (Hollywood) – The much-anticipated $400 million Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (AMMP) is scheduled to begin construction on more than six acres of land in two to three years with an anticipated opening in 2013. 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
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