96
winter
|
spring
ED
STRUCTURES
remain to protect the one-of-a-kind automobiles from damaging light rays.
Together, the Petersen and KPF arrived at the final design. The existing
structure would be red, with undulating, arching ribbons of stainless steel
flowing around and over the repurposed rectangle. Working with Zahner
Fabrication of Kansas City, Missouri, these ribbons became a reality, attached
by tree-like supports to the existing building. The structure emulates its
holdings, the car itself.
Now open to the public featuring updated interiors and a roof deck
room upstairs, the museum also offers a kids section with content from Pixar’s
Cars
and a restaurant run by Los Angeles’s famed Drago brothers. Hammer
added that this museum will be different, drawing in multiple crowds – the car
aficionados, families, foodies, and architecture buffs.
The arts in Los Angeles are experiencing a renaissance, and the
Petersen is the latest in addition to a thriving arts district. The Petersen
was founded on the mission to “concentrate on the best, most
interesting, and most beautiful cars from around the world, and tell the
story of Southern California and the automobile.”
With the renovation and reopening, the museum will not only tell
a story, but become a story of its own; one of passion and sensitivity
to historical context, combining to revive one of Southern California’s
cultural treasures.
