The firm WEISS/MANFREDI ARCHITECTURE has been selected by The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County as the finalist in the international design competition for the redesign of the La Brea Tar Pits project.

The world’s only active paleontological research facility 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.

© Rendering by WEISS/MANFREDI, Courtesy of NHMLAC

Since research began in 1913, the Tar Pits have yielded millions of samples, including saber-toothed cats, dire wolf and mastodon skeletons, innumerable plants, small rodents, and insects. New discoveries are made daily in the Tar Pits open-air excavations. These collections constitute an unparalleled resource for understanding environmental change in Los Angeles and the planet during the last 50,000 years of Earth’s history.

The project for a comprehensive reimagining of this uniquely important campus will begin with the development of a creative master plan, undertaken to advance NHMLAC’s scientific research and public engagement for the next half-century. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County is overseeing the expansion and renovation of the La Brea Tar Pits. This multi-year project aims to reimagine the site.

© Rendering by WEISS/MANFREDI, Courtesy of NHMLAC

The main features of the site include the renovation of George C. Page Museum and construction of a new museum, creation of a new Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research, and the expansion of educational opportunities and research facilities.

Improvements to park and recreational areas will enhance visitor experience with the project  designed to accommodate an additional 800,000 visitors annually.  It is all part of a broader effort to preserve and promote the site as a significant paleontological and educational resource.

The renovation and expansion are conceived as a contemporary Wunderkammer, a treasure chest of stunning fossils and artifacts, from large to microscopic.

© Rendering by WEISS/MANFREDI, Courtesy of NHMLAC

The La Brea Loops and Lenses form a triple Möbius strip that will link all existing elements of Hancock Park as a continuously unfolding experience, connecting three distinguishing identities latent within the park today: Research and Revelation, the site of the excavation pits and Pleistocene Garden; Community and Culture, where the museum and central green are located; and Spectacle and Urban Fictions, where the lake pit and mastodons join the public imagination on Wilshire Boulevard.

The different themes of the loops embody journeys, with programming that will appeal to various interests, from paleontology to bird watching, science to play. The reimagination of the park and George C. Page Museum emerges from a close analysis of what is present, inspiring a commitment to preserve and magnify the park, tar pits and museum as an ever-changing campus for discovery.

The new 0.62-mile pedestrian path will cross over the Lake Pit, frame views into the museum, enhance amenities for community engagement and research, and reveal the riches found in the tar pits and museum. Active exploration is complemented with lookout platforms along the loop to provide more intimate spaces for reflection.

© Rendering by WEISS/MANFREDI, Courtesy of NHMLAC

Page Museum’s rejuvenation and expansion is rooted in an analysis of the existing building, preserving and enhancing its unique strengths. Like a magnifying glass, exhibition spaces bring artifacts into focus and make visible the museum’s treasures to the public.

Framed views throughout the park and museum bring into alignment the research and museum collection containing more than 3.5 million specimens.

All existing elements of the park will be linked by a looping pedestrian path, redefining Hancock Park as a continuously unfolding experience. At night, the illuminated facade of the museum animates the park.

The multimillion-dollar renovation of the La Brea Tar Pits projects is expected to be completed before the start of the Los Angeles Olympics, which will take place July 14–30, 2028. This will mark the first time the Summer Olympics are held in Los Angeles since 1984, and it will be the fifth Summer Olympics hosted by the United States.