A proposed multi-million renovation to the world-famous La Brea Tar Pits at the Natural History Museum in Hancock Park is expected to be completed in time for the Olympics in 2028.
The reimagined $240 million transformation includes state-of-the-art labs and exhibition halls, indoor and outdoor educational spaces and a 13-acre park with gardens planted with native Ice Age plants, among other changes.
Half of the money has been raised with an ongoing effort to fund the remainder.
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is widely considered world‑famous, especially in paleontology, geology and natural history circles. It’s one of the most significant Ice Age fossil sites on Earth and a major landmark in Los Angeles, adjacent to the 57,000-square-foot museum where more than 3.5 million specimens are housed.
This high-level view shows the paths that connect active excavation sites, research labs, the Museum, and the Central Lawn. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which oversees La Brea Tar Pits, is engaged in a multi-year plan to reimagine the 13-acre site, the first renovation in a half-century since the museum at La Brea Tar Pits opened to the public in 1977. (Rendering WEISS/MANFREDI. Courtesy of NHMLAC)
The La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles are among the Southern California museums and attractions that offer free or reduced cost admission to people with EBT cards. (Photo by John McCoy, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
An elegant walking path will connect park to Museum, giving visitors easy access to the Museum’s main entrance and new vistas for enjoying the park. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which oversees La Brea Tar Pits, is engaged in a multi-year plan to reimagine the 13-acre site, the first renovation in a half-century since the museum at La Brea Tar Pits opened to the public in 1977. (Rendering Courtesy La Brea Tar Pits)
From a large renovated courtyard to a multi-use classroom, a range of spaces will help expand the Museum’s role as a formal and informal learning powerhouse for children, youth, and adults.The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which oversees La Brea Tar Pits, is engaged in a multi-year plan to reimagine the 13-acre site, the first renovation in a half-century since the museum at La Brea Tar Pits opened to the public in 1977. (Rendering Courtesy La Brea Tar Pits)
The addition of the outdoor Amphitheater includes shaded seating. As a site for community and culture, the Museum’s Central Lawn and Loop will provide a destination community lawn that amplifies the rich activities and events that take place in Hancock Park at the La Brea Tar Pits. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which oversees La Brea Tar Pits, is engaged in a multi-year plan to reimagine the 13-acre site, the first renovation in a half-century since the museum at La Brea Tar Pits opened to the public in 1977. (Rendering Courtesy La Brea Tar Pits)
In the evening and on weekends, the green will transform for events, outdoor films, food trucks, and festivals. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which oversees La Brea Tar Pits, is engaged in a multi-year plan to reimagine the 13-acre site, the first renovation in a half-century since the museum at La Brea Tar Pits opened to the public in 1977. (Rendering Courtesy La Brea Tar Pits)
A rendering view from Wilshire Blvd. and Curson shows the refreshed entry experience into the park. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which oversees La Brea Tar Pits, is engaged in a multi-year plan to reimagine the 13-acre site, the first renovation in a half-century since the museum at La Brea Tar Pits opened to the public in 1977. (Rendering Courtesy La Brea Tar Pits)
With an expansive, glass-fronted gallery facing the park, the renovated Museum will share its marvels and connect to communities and the city like never before at the La Brea Tar Pits. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which oversees La Brea Tar Pits, is engaged in a multi-year plan to reimagine the 13-acre site, the first renovation in a half-century since the museum at La Brea Tar Pits opened to the public in 1977. (Rendering Courtesy La Brea Tar Pits)
View of Ramp Gallery & Rooftop Terrace. A new accessible pathway leads to the Terrace level. This design maintains the Museum’s character-defining features while significantly improving universal access from the park. Additionally, visitors on the ramp will get a glimpse of the exhibits behind the glass at the La Brea Tar Pits. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which oversees La Brea Tar Pits, is engaged in a multi-year plan to reimagine the 13-acre site, the first renovation in a half-century since the museum at La Brea Tar Pits opened to the public in 1977. (Rendering Courtesy La Brea Tar Pits)
This bold new entrance, conveniently reoriented to the parking lot, will allow for a contiguous zone of public amenities including a new gift shop and shaded seating in an outdoor amphitheater. These amenities will be available to visitors whether they purchase a ticket or not at the La Brea Tar Pits. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which oversees La Brea Tar Pits, is engaged in a multi-year plan to reimagine the 13-acre site, the first renovation in a half-century since the museum at La Brea Tar Pits opened to the public in 1977. (Rendering Courtesy La Brea Tar Pits)
View from Central Lawn and Loop. Mornings on the Central Lawn and Loop will be a setting for health and wellness programs. As the day progresses, the lawn will come alive with visiting schoolchildren, Museum tour groups, and community members at the La Brea Tar Pits. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which oversees La Brea Tar Pits, is engaged in a multi-year plan to reimagine the 13-acre site, the first renovation in a half-century since the museum at La Brea Tar Pits opened to the public in 1977. (Rendering Courtesy La Brea Tar Pits)
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This high-level view shows the paths that connect active excavation sites, research labs, the Museum, and the Central Lawn. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which oversees La Brea Tar Pits, is engaged in a multi-year plan to reimagine the 13-acre site, the first renovation in a half-century since the museum at La Brea Tar Pits opened to the public in 1977. (Rendering WEISS/MANFREDI. Courtesy of NHMLAC)
The proposed multi-year Reimagining La Brea Tar Pits project, dubbed the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research, has been primarily funded by the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation and is the largest donation in the museum’s history.
“Los Angeles has always been a city of imagination and possibility,” said Lynda Oschin, chairman of the board and secretary of the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation. “Supporting research at La Brea Tar Pits reflects my husband’s love for this city and our shared belief that world-class science should be at the heart of our community, where everyone can engage with it.”
Oschin has said there was no place on Earth like La Brea Tar Pits and it was fitting to honor her husband’s legacy by supporting science and research in the heart of Los Angeles, a city he helped to develop and shape. Samuel Oschin died July 28, 2003.
The couple started the foundation to inspire future generations by sponsoring organizations that deepen an understanding of the world.
“Through this work, I know the lessons of Ice Age Los Angeles will inspire countless scientists and young students here and globally,” she added.
The Oschin Center supports broader goals for the complete transformation of the Tar Pits’ 13-acre site, which has not been renovated or considered comprehensively in the half-century since the museum opened in 1977.
Research and exhibition spaces will be preserved and expanded.
From the central green space, a new entrance will offer views into the renovation and expansion of the George C. Page Museum.
The proposed design includes a new, 1-kilometer triple pedestrian loop connecting active excavation sites, research and exhibition spaces and a green space. Iconic features such as the museum’s historic frieze are preserved and expanded while improving research and exhibition spaces.
An ascending crescent of sloped walkways introduces routes to grass slopes and access to a roof terrace with views of the museum’s historic frieze and the Tar Pits campus.
New Pleistocene gardens at the Wilshire Boulevard entry, and within the museum courtyard, connect the landscape and ecology to the Ice Age history of the site.
The proposed project is expected to tell the story of Los Angeles’ Ice Age past when mammoths and dire wolves roamed the landscape.
“It’s important to tell the story of Los Angeles from 60,000 years ago to today,” said Amy Hood, the museum’s director of communications.
La Brea Tar Pits is the richest Ice Age fossil site on Earth and a repository of millions of fossils, comprising hundreds of plant and animal species.
From the park to exhibition spaces and research and collection facilities, the transformation of the site will tell the story of Los Angeles at the end of the Ice Age and how it helps to better understand the current ecological context and our shared future.
La Brea Tar Pits is the only active paleontological research site in the world in a major urban area. Since research began in 1875, the Tar Pits have yielded millions of samples, including saber-toothed cats, dire wolf and mastodon skeletons, innumerable plants, small rodents and insects and new discoveries are made daily in open-air excavations.
These collections constitute an unparalleled resource for understanding environmental change in Los Angeles and the planet, during the last 60,000 years of Earth’s history, according to museum officials.