The Autry National Center Announces Plans for two Major Architectural Projects June 30, 2010 Transformation of Griffith Park facility by Levin & Associates will add 25,000 square feet and offer stunning showcase for the Autry's collections. New building in Burbank designed by Chu + Gooding will serve as Autry Research and Resource Center. Moving forward with its ambitious plan to create a major new intercultural center, where it will bring together and honor the stories of all the peoples of the American West, the Autry National Center today announced plans for two major architectural projects. The Autry will transform its existing Griffith Park campus into a cultural attraction for Los Angeles, designed by the distinguished firm of Levin & Associates. The Autry will also purchase a new building in Burbank and work with Chu + Gooding to create a new Research and Resource Center. Through the $75 million, seven-year project, the Autry will bring its collections and exhibitions to the public as never before. Over the past year, the Autry has worked closely with Brenda Levin, Principal of Levin & Associates, on a planning study for the Griffith Park facility. The study determined that if the Autry is to dramatically increase and modernize its galleries in the existing building, it must free up spaces on the first floor that are currently used for offices, conservation laboratories, and collection storage. To achieve this goal, the Autry will establish an off-site Research and Resource Center, which will accommodate its curatorial offices, laboratories, research libraries, and approximately 500,000 artworks and artifacts that have been stored until now in both the Griffith Park and Mt. Washington facilities. "Brenda Levin has drawn on her great expertise, and her deep knowledge of our institution and the Griffith Park facility, to give us a sensitive, sustainable, and highly attractive plan," said John Gray, President and CEO of the Autry. "By creating a museum space that better addresses the needs of our visitors, collections, exhibitions,and programs, this project will enable the Autry to fulfill its unique potential, as the institution that can tell the comprehensive and integrated story of the American West." Brenda Levin's plan will open up the first-floor level of the museum, adding 25,000 square feet of gallery space. These new galleries, scheduled to begin opening in 2013, will allow for the presentation of multiple exhibitions. Highlights include First Californians, a permanent gallery devoted to the story of Native Americans living in the West before European settlers arrived; a new gallery space for rotating exhibitions of the Southwest Museum's outstanding Native American collection; and a redesign of the outdoor landscape area now called Trails West. The new Autry Research and Resource Center will be a two-story, 100,000-square-foot structure located on Victory Boulevard in Burbank, approximately 2.5 miles from Griffith Park. Its primary use will be to provide state-of-the-art, museum-quality storage for the Autry's extensive collections of art and artifacts and library materials. The Autry's Institute for the Study for the American West, which encompasses the Braun Research Library and the Autry Library, will move to the Research and Resource Center. A reading room will be open to the public by appointment. The collections now stored at the Southwest Museum building in Mount Washington will also be moved over time into the Research and Resource Center. This move will ensure that these priceless artifacts and pieces of artwork are maintained under pristine conditions, that they remain safely accessible to scholars and researchers, and that the Autry's curators can select from them for exhibitions and installations. Gallery space in the Southwest Museum is currently being used for expanding much needed conservation and preservation work on the collection. The Autry expects this conservation project to be completed at the end of 2013. The Autry is currently seeking partnerships with educational, cultural, or civic organizations to develop future programs suitable to the Southwest Museum site. About Levin & Associates Founded in 1980 by Brenda A. Levin, the urban planning and architecture firm Levin & Associates received worldwide attention early in the decade for its revitalizing historic preservation work on some of Los Angeles's most beloved landmarks. In the intervening 20 years, the firm's profound concern for enhancing urban memory and the humanity of a project has positioned it to be an active problem solver in the issues and neighborhoods of a complex city and region. The scope of Levin & Associates' work includes urban design and master planning, large-scale renovation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings, and the design of new institutional, commercial, and multifamily housing facilities. Geographically, the firm's project sites blanket Southern California. Levin & Associates Architects has been honored and recognized by many organizations, including the American Institute of Architects, the Urban Land Institute, the California State Legislature, the City of Los Angeles and its Cultural Affairs Commission, and the Los Angeles Conservancy. A monograph featuring the firm's work, titled Brenda Levin, Levin & Associates Architects: Los Angeles, has also been published. About Chu + Gooding Architects Chu + Gooding Architects is an award-winning, Los Angeles-based firm specializing in arts-related, cultural, and educational projects. Crafting engaging and lasting environments that integrate architecture, landscape, and interior design, their work is celebrated for its insightful recognition of the user's experience and its refined synthesis of materials and color. The firm commits to a framework of design formed by a studied response to context and a close collaboration with all involved in the project. Notable clients include MoCA, the Hammer Museum, the Getty Center, the LA Philharmonic Association, and KPCC 89.3 FM. Autry National Center The Autry National Center is an intercultural history center dedicated to exploring and sharing the stories, experiences, and perceptions of the diverse peoples of the American West. Located in Griffith Park, the Autry includes the collections of the Museum of the American West, the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, and the Autry Institute's two research libraries: the Braun Research Library and the Autry Library. Exhibitions, public programs, K-12 educational services, and publications are designed to examine critical issues of society, offering insights into solutions and the contemporary human condition through the Western historical experience. Weekday hours of operation for the Autry in Griffith Park location are Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Autry Store's weekday hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the Golden Spur Cafe is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday hours for the museum and the Autry Store are 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The museum, the Autry Store, and the cafe are closed on Mondays. The libraries are open to researchers by appointment. Link: The Autry National Center Announces Plans for two Major Architectural Projects Education | Arts & Culture | Civic & Social | Urban Revitalization About Levin & Associates | News | Home