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Broad Museum founder Joanne Heyler recently announced that Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) has been hired to assist with the expansion of the Broad Museum. The firm completed the Los Angeles Downtown Art Museum in 2015, with its distinctive “honeycomb” appearance.
Today, The Broad houses more than 2,000 works of art and counting. Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, Barbara Kruger, Roy Lichtenstein, Takashi Murakami, Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker and Andy Waugh Hall’s works are on display and in museum collections. Going forward, the Broad has committed to including artists “historically excluded from the canon and art market,” museum officials said. To this end, Lauren Halsey, David Hammons, Martin Puryear, Amy Sherald and Hank Newly acquired works by Hank Willis Thomas and others have been added to the Broad’s collection.
In addition, the building regularly attracted almost four times the number of visitors than originally envisaged, necessitating an expansion. DS+R’s expanded 55,000 square feet will include many newly acquired works. It will expand the Broad’s footprint by 70 percent from Grand Avenue to Hope Street and help accommodate the institution’s growing collection.
Renderings show the accompanying volume, which despite being made of significantly different materials, matches the height of the existing museum. DS+R’s architects say the extension opens new perspectives on the “veil and vault” concept the studio introduced on site in 2015. The exterior of the extension mimics the existing building’s interior surfaces, as if the core of the building had been exposed, said the architects of Unveiling. This symbolizes Broad’s commitment to public access. Openings are arranged at various intervals throughout the smooth façade, allowing natural light to discreetly pour into the gallery spaces.
“I see the new building as a companion piece to the existing Broad building,” Elizabeth Diller said in a statement. “The pair share the same DNA, but each has their own unique personality and purpose in constant dialogue with the other. The original Broad was conceived as an unfolding experience, starting in the lobby and moving along Escalators rise through the vaults, landing in third-floor galleries immersed in the collection, then winding back to the street through collection storage rooms. The challenge of adding more space to the building was to retain this intuitive circulation and logic, while introducing a range of new experiences for visitors.”
The extension will feature large new galleries on the first, second and third floors. On the second floor, visitors can move among racks of art from the Broad’s collection. This creates an area that functions as both gallery and art storage. There will also be two rooftop open-air courtyards for visitors to enjoy art outdoors; there will also be more flexible live program spaces for concerts, multimedia installations and other performances.
Outside there will be a new covered plaza, Hilda Solis Plaza, for subway riders coming from the Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill station. The public space is named for Hilda Solis, Los Angeles County’s first district supervisor. It is designed to create a gateway from public transportation to Grand Avenue’s vibrant arts corridor, commercial, residential, hotel and dining options.
“In the short time since 2015, our building has become an icon of Los Angeles’ culture and urban landscape,” Heller said in a statement. “With this expansion, we intend to expand the Broad’s commitment to Making contemporary art accessible to all, providing surprising, welcoming and imaginative experiences that respect the diversity of the public and add to the growing vibrancy of Grand Avenue, the district’s Eli Broad Broad believed in this and helped transform it into what it is today.”
Construction will begin in early 2025 during The Broad’s 10th anniversary celebrations. Museum officials said the expansion will be open to the public in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics, and general admission will continue to be free.
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