ABANDONS EXPANSION
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On August 11, 2009 the Autry National Center announced it was abandoning its plans to expand its Griffith Park Museum.
The termination of the
project appears to be a direct result of the June 30, 2009 hearing on
the matter before the City's Board of Referred Powers. At that meeting
City Councilmember Jose Huizar urged the Autry to guarantee the
promises it made to the Southwest Museum when it acquired the museum.
As Autry President John Gray explains in his letter the demand to preserve the Southwest Museum (Los Angeles oldest museum) was too much for the Autry Board to agree to and so they are withdrawing their request for a 129,000 square foot expansion of their facility in Griffith Park.
At its hearing in City Council chambers on June 30th, packed with over 200 supporters and opponents of the then current proposal, the Board of Referred Powers deferred a decision on the Autry Expansion for at least 4 weeks. This was later extended with no firm date set for a decision.
After two hours of testimony from both sides, the five City Councilmembers (Hahn, Reyes, Cardenas, Parks & Rosendahl) who make up the board, all said that the Autry should sit down with those who want the Southwest Museum to remain a viable museum and work out a written agreement.
The Autry took the position at the hearing that the issue of the Southwest Museum's future should not be considered in amending the Autry's $1 a year lease for Griffith Park land.
A key player in the hearing was Councilmember Jose Huizar who urged the board not to make a decision until there was an enforceable written agreement protecting the Southwest and the promises made by the Autry when it took over the Southwest Museum and its collection.
As Autry President John Gray explains in his letter the demand to preserve the Southwest Museum (Los Angeles oldest museum) was too much for the Autry Board to agree to and so they are withdrawing their request for a 129,000 square foot expansion of their facility in Griffith Park.
At its hearing in City Council chambers on June 30th, packed with over 200 supporters and opponents of the then current proposal, the Board of Referred Powers deferred a decision on the Autry Expansion for at least 4 weeks. This was later extended with no firm date set for a decision.
After two hours of testimony from both sides, the five City Councilmembers (Hahn, Reyes, Cardenas, Parks & Rosendahl) who make up the board, all said that the Autry should sit down with those who want the Southwest Museum to remain a viable museum and work out a written agreement.
The Autry took the position at the hearing that the issue of the Southwest Museum's future should not be considered in amending the Autry's $1 a year lease for Griffith Park land.
A key player in the hearing was Councilmember Jose Huizar who urged the board not to make a decision until there was an enforceable written agreement protecting the Southwest and the promises made by the Autry when it took over the Southwest Museum and its collection.