The upcoming renovation of the iconic Getty Center, which will close for a year to accommodate the upgrade work, will include an overhauled entry system, highlighted by the replacement of the famed tram that carries visitors from the parking area to the hilltop museum, Getty officials said Thursday.
According to Getty officials, the current tram has been in use since 1997 “and is showing its age.”
“It will be replaced with a newly designed and more comfortable model with increased visitor capacity to help reduce wait time,” according to a Getty statement.
The new tram cars and the propulsion system will be built by Doppelmayr, a company Getty officials called a leading designer of automated shuttles used at airports and transit centers in cities such as London, Venice, Toronto, Oakland and Mexico City.
The upgraded tram will be the key element of a redesigned entry experience being created through the renovation project. Getty officials said the lower tram arrival area and the entry point to the museum itself are being upgraded with expanded landscaping, a sheltered stairway, outdoor sculptures, a café and retail shop. There will also be a “reconfigured circulation plan and security checkpoint” that will “ease tram departures and arrivals.”
An upgraded Welcome Center will also be constructed at the museum itself.
“Features of the Welcome Hall will include a large information screen and desk that will greet visitors, and an expanded bookstore that opens onto a new full-service café,” according to Getty.
The museum will undergo a roughly year-long renovation project, which will force the closure of the institution beginning March 15, 2027, and continuing until spring 2028. The goal is to have the museum reopened in time for the 2028 Olympics.
According to Getty officials, the modernization project will include enhancements such as:
— reimagined gallery spaces;
— improved accessibility through upgrades to the tram system that carries visitors to the center;
— a renovated Welcome Hall, with a new cafe bookstore and retail shop; and
— improvements to buildings and public spaces across the campus, along with improved cell phone and Wi-Fi service.
Getty officials said some improvement projects are already underway, with some galleries closed to accommodate work on the heating/air conditioning system.
During the year-long closure, Getty will open a “programming space” on Sepulveda Boulevard in a building located across from the center.
The Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades will remain open with normal operating hours during the modernization work at Getty Center. A selection of paintings from the Getty Center will be temporarily displayed at the Getty Villa during the renovation work.