Los Angeles, CA (April 9, 2026) — The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County today announced that La Brea Tar Pits will begin the comprehensive reimagining of its 13-acre campus this July.
To prepare for the first major renovation of the George C. Page Museum since its opening in 1977, the museum will close to the public on July 6 for approximately two years. The full-scale renovation of the 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.
“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,” said Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga, President and Director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County. “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.”
Visitors are invited to experience the Page Museum before its next chapter begins, including a free public KCRW Summer Nights with La Brea Tar Pits event on June 12, featuring after-hours access and site-wide programming, as well as Last Dance at La Brea Tar Pits, a disco-themed dance party on June 27.
Led by internationally recognized firm WEISS/MANFREDI, the Tar Pits’ larger transformation will better integrate the Page Museum, active excavation sites, research facilities, and surrounding parkland into a more unified and accessible campus. This work will revolutionize storytelling at the Tar Pits and better share the scientific work that can only be done at this unique location, further cementing the site as a global destination for research, education, and public engagement. Read more about the transformation here, including the launch of the new Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research.
Hancock Park will remain open throughout the transformation, which includes a new, 1-kilometer pedestrian loop through the park that connects active excavation sites, research and exhibition spaces, and a central green into a single, continuous experience. Access to walking paths, green space, and outdoor features will be phased in coordination with construction.
While the Page Museum building will temporarily close to visitors, scientific work at La Brea Tar Pits will continue. Researchers will remain active onsite, excavating fossils, advancing laboratory discoveries, caring for existing collections, and publishing studies that contribute to global understanding of the Ice Age and its relevance to our present and future ecosystems.
Educational offerings will continue as well with on-site excavation in public view, special behind-the-scenes tours, special presentations and activities in schools, and the La Brea Tar Pits Mobile Museum, which visits schools and other public places throughout Los Angeles County. The Natural History Museum in Exposition Park will present public programs and educator programs for teachers inspired by the La Brea Tar Pits' Ice Age research.
Construction is expected to begin in late 2026. Reopening of the full campus, including the Page Museum, is anticipated for 2028 — in advance of the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
About the Transformation
La Brea Tar Pits is the richest Ice Age fossil site on Earth, and a repository of millions of fossils, comprising hundreds of species of plants and animals. From the park to the exhibition spaces to research and collection facilities, the transformation of the site will tell the story of Los Angeles from the Ice Age to today and how that helps us better understand our current ecological context and our shared future.
To transform La Brea Tar Pits, the world-renowned architecture and design firm of WEISS/MANFREDI was chosen through a global competition with community involvement. Supported by Executive Architect and Landscape Architect Gruen Associates, the reimagined museum includes state-of-the-art labs and exhibition halls, indoor/outdoor educational spaces, and a 13-acre park with gardens planted with native Ice Age plants, all of which will revolutionize our storytelling to reflect the scientific work that can only be done at this unique location.
From the famous Lake Pit on Wilshire Boulevard (with its well-known mammoth family) to the bubbling tar pits and excavation sites and through gardens planted with prehistoric species, the project embodies an inside/outside, welcoming and inclusive ethos. With ongoing excavations, new outdoor classrooms to share discoveries in real-time, a modernized visible fossil lab offering visitors a peek into the active research taking place, and interactive exhibition features, the project will bring the work of the new Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research into the public experience.
History of the Tar Pits Campus
The only active paleontological research facility in the world located in a major urban area, La Brea Tar Pits is situated within the eastern portion of Hancock Park in Los Angeles’s Miracle Mile district. Since research began in 1907, the Tar Pits have yielded millions of samples, including saber-toothed cats, dire wolf and mastodon skeletons, innumerable plants, small rodents and insects, with new discoveries made daily in the Tar Pits open-air excavations. These collections constitute an unparalleled resource for understanding environmental change in both Los Angeles and the planet during the last 60,000 years of Earth’s history.
The George C. Page Museum, designed by Los Angeles architects Frank Thornton and Willis Fagan, opened in 1977. Burrowed into the earth to preserve as much of the landscape as possible, it has sloping, grass-covered exterior walls — a beloved feature of Hancock Park —and is surmounted by a 10-foot-high, 4-sided fiberglass frieze of Ice Age landscapes, plants, and mammals created by the sculptor Manuel Paz. The 57,000-square-foot museum has more than 2 million specimens in its collection.
In addition to the Tar Pits and the museum, the campus comprises several active digs, an Observation Pit building from the 1950s (refurbished in 2014), a concession building, simulated Pleistocene landscapes, and contemporary gardens.
About the Project Team
WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism is the Design Lead, Museum and Park, for the La Brea Tar Pits project. GRUEN ASSOCIATES is the Executive Architect and Landscape Architect. Exhibition Design is being created by Kossmanndejong (KDJ). Landmark PM is the Owner’s Representative and Project Manager. The General Contractor is Clark Construction Group – California, LP.
About the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research
A global center for pioneering science, the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research encompasses research, excavation, scientific analysis, publishing, and collections management. This work will be woven into the landscape of Hancock Park, integrated into the George C. Page Museum, and infused into every La Brea Tar Pits program, driving the educational and visitor experience, while advancing scientific research around the world. Founded in 2026 with a transformative gift from the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation, the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research embodies the core principles of the reimagined La Brea Tar Pits, which is set to open in 2028.
Campaign to Reimagine La Brea Tar Pits
This bold $240 million campaign comes at an important moment. A reimagined La Brea Tar Pits will complete Hancock Park’s evolution into a major, must-see destination and ensure that La Brea Tar Pits’ invaluable resources are not only shared widely but stewarded and protected for future generations.
To date, more than $131 million has been raised – 55% of the project goal of $240 million. This includes the transformational gift from the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation, lead support from Los Angeles County, the State of California, NHM‘s Board of Trustees, Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District, and other generous donors, including the Ahmanson Foundation, Joan Payden, and the Perlstein Family. Fundraising efforts are now focused on securing the funds necessary to break ground and position the project for completion in time for the Olympics in 2028.
About the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County
The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) include the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park (NHM) and La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park. They operate under the collective vision to inspire wonder, discovery, and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds. The museums hold one of the world’s most extensive and valuable collections of natural and cultural history—more than 35 million objects. Using these collections for groundbreaking scientific and historic research, the museums also incorporate them into nature and culture exploration in L.A. neighborhoods, and a slate of community science programs—creating a natural history museum experience that explores the past, but increasingly addresses the present and the future. Learn more here.
Media Contacts:
Josh Chesler
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Dalesy Casasola
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