Recently, there is talk of the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park moving on. It's interesting, though, to note that this wouldn't be the first museum to leave. As you might recall, the City's Art Museum was also once in the park - the birthplace of LACMA.
It would be a shame if the museum left, but like the Children's Museum found out, the only place to find the space enough for the size of the museum needed outside of Expo Park would be in the Valley, which isn't always a bad thing.
If the Museum of Natural History was to move, I would put it in a few potential places:
1. Logically, on Museum Row in the Miracle Mile (the vacant parking lot across Wilshire from LACMA>
2. In Lincoln Heights near Lincoln Park or The Brewery (shared parking?)
3. In the Valley in NoHo (transit hub) or along the Orange Line in Van Nuys near the Valley's Civic Center (land would have to be acquired)
4. In the Westlake/MacArthur Park Area near the Redline Station - a few more parcels added to the existing Metro-owned property would enhance the area and make sense. (Langer's would also get a boost in business, as would Mama's Hot Tamales.) This could also be the impetus to restore the Westlake Theater to its grandeur.
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4 comments:
I like many of these ideas, although something in the Valley would be excellent. It is always depressing to know you have to go "over the hill" to visit nearly every museum in LA.
Siting near a transit hub would also be much appreciated. I think I would visit the NHM more frequently now, if it were closer to the rail lines or off the busway. Heck, if it were off the busway I could ride my bike! Cool!
What about the Southwest Museum in Mt. Washington? The Autry plans to move out.
ah-ha: The Southwest Museum may or may not be vacated. There are public meetings (one in the Valley at the Braude Center at 6:30pm on Wednesday, June 14th) scheduled for the next few weeks to get input. So, don't count on it being gone yet!
I used to work at the NHM, and I can tell you that after seeing all of the scientists run out of the place - it deserves to be shut down.
It serves little purpose but to present a really dim view of the natural world as seen by a group of overeducated fine arts majors.
Been to their friday night events? They originally thought that they would make money packing the house, but it turns out that the fire deptartment won't let them have enough people in the building to turn a profit on these mindless parties. You'd think that would end the events - but by cutting real education programs, and by promoting psychophants and yes-men the place somehow finds ways to keep shoveling money into the fire.
What a waste of a resource!
They should move the whole administration into the dumpster over at MOCA, and start again from scratch.
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