The George C. Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits will close to the public July 6 for about two years, marking the start of a sweeping renovation project of the 13-acre Tar Pits campus — the first major overhaul since it opened 50 years ago.
“As we prepare the La Brea Tar Pits transformation, I encourage everyone to visit this cultural icon and experience firsthand what makes this site unlike any in the world,” Lori Bettison-Varga, president and director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, said in a statement. “This is the largest capital investment in NHM’s history, and it reflects an extraordinary commitment from our civic and philanthropic partners to the future of La Brea Tar Pits. Our responsibility is not only to preserve the fossils in our care, but to ensure that the knowledge they hold is accessible to all.”
Renovation work at the Page Museum “will modernize and improve access to the building, including visible research laboratories, new collections storage and displays, an immersive theater, and a roof terrace with views of the park and the museum’s historic atrium and frieze,” according to NHM officials.
Scientific research at the La Brea Tar Pits will continue during the museum closure, along with educational programming such as behind-the-scenes tours and school activities. The Natural History Museum in Exposition Park, meanwhile, will offer public and teacher-focused programs inspired by Ice Age research at the Tar Pits.
Construction work at the museum is expected to begin late this year, with the full campus set to reopen in 2028, ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
According to NHM, more than $131 million has been raised in a fundraising effort to bankroll the renovation project. The fundraising campaign has a goal of $240 million.