Less limelight for major transformation of non-Broad museum.

by Sam Lubell
artical originally apeared in The Architect's Newspaper

Future (Courtesy SPF:a)

Today

In the 1930s

Although it hasn’t gotten much attention, another firm besides Renzo Piano Building Workshop is working on a major commission at the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA).

Culver City-based SPF:a in November finished first schematic designs for the renovation and transformation of LACMA’s May Company Building, just west of Piano’s almost-completed (and just snubbed by its namesake) Broad Contemporary Art Museum. The May building, known as LACMA West, now contains small exhibition spaces, offices, and warehouse-like storage. Many of its windows are boarded up. It will be transformed into a major exhibition space containing much of LACMA’s contemporary art collection, as well as a restaurant, book shop, and special event spaces. The firm was commissioned for the project in August.

The five-story streamline modern building at 6067 Wilshire was designed as a May Company department store by AC Martin and Samuel Marx in 1939. The structure’s most recognizable element is the cylindrical, gold-colored tower and deco signage on its northwest side. LACMA purchased the property in 1991, opening it for exhibitions in 1999. SPF:a will keep the facade intact, repairing and replacing worn-out elements and bringing the building to code. The northeast corner will be changed to accommodate a “signature” display, although that element has not been worked out, explained SPF:a partner Zoltan Pali.

Inside, the firm will open up once chopped-up spaces, creating open-plan gallery and work spaces, and using a minimal palette meant to defer to the artwork. The mezzanine, now boarded up, will be opened and connected to the entry to create a dramatic, double-height public space. The third and fourth floors will be used for offices, and the top floor will include a boardroom and outdoor gathering and exhibition spaces.

The project will be completed in 2010, and fundraising is in full swing.

About SPF:a
www.spfa.com

Founded in 1988, Studio Pali Fekete Architects (SPF:a) is a Los Angeles based architecture firm specializing in clients and projects that require a high level of design sensitivity, technical expertise, and hands-on principal involvement. The studio houses an award-winning design team, and one of the world’s most accomplished technical documentation workshops.

SPF:a design awards range from Architecture Magazine’s Home of the Year Award (2003) to the AIA National Honor Award [2005] for the design of the Somis Hay Barn. Projects range in size and scope from 5,500 square foot private homes to the 300,000 square foot Getty Villa Museum, and include education, preservation, residential, institutional, commercial, and health care facilities.

The SPF:a team is energetic, cooperative, and diverse. Currently 30 people strong, individual architect experience ranges from entry-level to over 24 years. Architects use a full complement of technological resources to produce rigorously accurate work, including the latest versions of computer-aided drafting and three-dimensional visualization software. Possessing a background and affinity for fine art and design, SPF:a principals have built a fully-modernized 1,800 square foot art gallery space into the firm’s corporate offices. MODAA (Museum Of Design And Architecture) regularly features the work of local artists, exploring the relationship and dialogue between art and architecture.