California allocates $236 million to overhaul Los Angeles' La Brea Tar Pits museum
A $236 million revenue bond will fund a multi-year renovation of the La Brea Tar Pits complex, slated to reopen by 2028.
California officials disclosed a $236 million cash infusion, sourced from a revenue bond, to transform the La Brea Tar Pits museum complex in Hancock Park. Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted the project as a once-in-a-generation effort to modernize the 13-acre site, which includes the George C. Page Museum and surrounding park. The redesign will introduce additional exhibition spaces, a visible research laboratory, larger fossil-storage facilities, a new theater and a rooftop viewing deck, while retaining the iconic atrium and exterior.
Central to the upgrade is the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research, which will showcase ongoing fossil preparation and scientific work. The museum closed for a two-year renovation in July, with a target reopening in 2028 ahead of the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games, and plans to continue educational programs throughout the construction period.
Why it matters
The investment modernizes a major scientific landmark, boosting public access to paleontological research and tourism ahead of the 2028 Olympics.
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