In 2017, the Hammer Museum shared details of a major multiyear plan to renovate the museum’s existing facility and activate 40,000 square feet of newly acquired space in the adjoining office tower. Michael Maltzan Architecture, a longtime Hammer partner, created the new architectural vision for the museum through 2020.

Originally built to showcase a private collection of historical paintings, the Hammer Museum has grown over 25 years to become an internationally recognized institution devoted to contemporary art and culture. Having outgrown the physical space for exhibitions, programs, and staff, the museum plans improvements that encompass everything from the lobby to the courtyard to the galleries to the office tower.

The new master plan includes:

• Expanding the galleries by 60% including two major newly constructed galleries to highlight the Museum’s growing collection
• Increasing visibility of the museum with a dramatic new presence along a full city block of Wilshire Boulevard with new entry lobby and galleries
• Enhancing 20,000 square feet of community spaces to make the museum more accessible and inviting to both visitors and passersby
• Creating premier facilities to showcase L.A.’s third largest art collection and make the Hammer’s outstanding works accessible to students, scholars, and the public
• The first phase of the master plan, renovations to the third-floor galleries, create 10,000 square feet of contiguous gallery space which is required for major traveling shows.

The Hammer Museum building was originally designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes, and has over the last decade been enhanced and renovated by MMA. The office tower building, now owned by UCLA, was designed by architect Claud Beelman, a leader in the Art Deco and Modern movements on the West Coast in the middle of the last century.

The current renovation plan builds on MMA’s longstanding partnership with the Hammer, which includes the design of the museum’s Billy Wilder Theater (2006), Courtyard Renovation and Education Lab (2012), and John V. Tunney Bridge (2015).  To date, completed projects identified in the renovation campaign include the Galleries (2017), Nimoy Studio (2018), and Audrey Cafe (2018).