LA County Museum’s expansion clears hurdle — with some celebrity assistance

The L.A. County Museum of Art’s planned $650 million expansion got a big boost from the county, with a help from Brad Pitt and Diane Keaton.

The county Board of Supervisors voted to approve $117.5 million in funding for the project at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, and certified its environmental report, according to Curbed. They also approved a $300-million bond to be repaid through private donations.

The new expansion in the Miracle Mile neighborhood is designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. The bridged design will be hoisted on columns on both sides of Wilshire Boulevard, and feature 220,000 square feet of exhibition space over the thoroughfare. The city still needs to approve that feature.

Groundbreaking is planned for early 2020, and construction should take four years.

The design has changed a few times since it was proposed in 2016. The most recent alteration was revealed last month, when the expansion was cut back by 10 percent — to 347,000 square feet — because of ballooning costs. LACMA director Michael Govan has since explained the museum will continue growing with satellite campuses.

On hand to lend support to the expansion at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting were actors Brad Pitt and Diane Keaton. During the public comment portion, Pitt continued talking over his allotted time and was promptly cut off, according to CNN.

LACMA is along Museum Row, which is in the middle of a transformation with the $388-million Academy Museum under construction next door, the new $125-million Peterson Automotive Museum and a Metro Purple Line station set to open in a few years. [Curbed] — Gregory Cornfield