Autry National Center

Autry Inside Out Open House
Convergence Canyon Rendering Courtesy of Kevin Woest

The Autry National Center is currently seeking approvals from the City of Los Angeles for its Griffith Park improvements project. Over the summer and fall of 2009, the Autry will be participating in a number of public hearings before the City’s Board of Referred Powers, the City Planning Commission, the Cultural Affairs Commission, and finally, the City Council, where its requests for the project will be reviewed and acted upon. These hearings and actions by the City will complete the extensive and important public review process for the Autry's plan to modernize and reconfigure its Griffith Park facility.

The Autry’s plan for greater protection and access to the collections allows us to explore and bring to life the unique, inclusive, and complex stories of the diverse people of the American West. We invite you to participate in the hearing and approval process. Click here for more information about supporting the Autry in the City approvals process.

Click here to view and download the PDF brochure The New Plan for Griffith Park

The new design enables a true Western experience that begins in the beautiful outdoor landscape of Griffith Park, without any expansion beyond the parcel where the Autry National Center exists today.

Plans call for more than doubling the total amount of exhibition, storage, and gallery space. The new “museum inside out” design has open collections and visible storage and staff areas that reveal the inner workings of the museum. It offers the chance to experience, explore, and learn from the collection in ways never before possible.

The great outdoors will also be brought indoors: visible landscaping and gardens, including an ethnobotanical garden, will invite visitors to explore how people have lived on this land. Other innovations include the Children’s Archeology Discovery Center—which will host the Dig It! program, previously offered only at the Southwest Museum—and other engaging programs.

Four new classrooms, a large community meeting room, a more expansive museum store, and additional outdoor seating at the cafe will make this an important destination where the diverse stories of the American West can be fully explored and shared.

NEW AT GRIFFITH PARK:
(Top) Southwest Museum Contemporary Native American Art Gallery. Rendering courtesy of Levin & Associates Architects. (Bottom) Children’s Archaeology Discovery Center. Renderings courtesy of Levin & Associates Architects.