When Was the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Built?

Art|Art Museum

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is one of the largest and most visited art museums in the United States. It was established in 1965, when Los Angeles County purchased a small private collection of artworks from the local collector, William A. Clark. Since then, LACMA has grown to become a world-renowned institution with over 135,000 works spanning 3,000 years of history.

LACMA’s origins began in 1910 when a group of civic leaders united to create the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art. The museum moved to West Adams Boulevard in 1913 and enjoyed a series of expansions over the next several decades. In 1961, it merged with the Los Angeles County Museum of Science and Industry, creating what is now known as LACMA.

LACMA officially opened its doors to the public on April 5th 1965 – however, construction on the new building had already begun in 1960. The original design for LACMA was devised by an architectural firm called Pereira & Luckman Architects who specialized in museum designs.

They envisioned an open campus with eight buildings connected by bridges and walkways as well as linear gardens and reflecting pools. The original plan included a total of 872 galleries spread out across 13 acres.

The main building was designed by renowned architect William Pereira who had previously designed San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid. He combined elements of modernism with Spanish Revival architecture to create an iconic structure that has become one of Los Angeles’ most recognizable landmarks. It is made up of two stories with long horizontal bands running along its façade that are meant to reflect light differently throughout the day.

Since its founding over five decades ago, LACMA has become one of America’s premier art museums – attracting millions of visitors from around the world each year. The museum boasts vast collections across many different genres including European Old Masters, American artworks from colonial times to present day as well as Latin American and Asian pieces that span centuries.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art was built between 1960-1965 and officially opened its doors on April 5th 1965. Designed by renowned architect William Pereira, it has since become one of Los Angeles’ most recognizable landmarks due to its iconic combination of modernism with Spanish Revival architecture.

Conclusion: Founded in 1965, the Los Angeles County Museum Of Art (LACMA) was built between 1960-1965 under renowned architect William Pereira’s design which successfully combined modernism with Spanish Revival architecture – making it one of LA’s most iconic landmarks today.