The iconic L.A. museum and active excavation site is shutting down for major upgrades. Last day to visit is July 6.
explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health. This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist.
If you find value in independent local reporting, With LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries just steps away, it may be easy to forget that we have the richest Ice Age fossil site on Earth right here with the La Brea Tar Pits. But the museum and research facilities at the tar pits are also scheduled for a multimillion dollar renovation.
Built in 1977, the George C. Page Museum at the tar pits has a special place in the hearts of Angelenos who’ve ever taken a field trip to see its massive mastodon skeletons or dire wolf skulls. Or have maybe shed a tear at the sculptures of the mammoth family in distress in the Lake Pit out front.
All that stuff is staying, museum educator Kay Lai told LAist, but new interactive exhibits will allow visitors to better understand the science that’s happening in their own backyard. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
“This museum, as beloved as it is, definitely needs that refresh,” Lai said. “And I’m really excited for the next generation of kids that gets to grow up and make new memories here with this new space. ”Lai said the museum refresh will include a new focus on Zed — the 80% complete Columbian mammoth found here — and other notable animals they’ve unearthed over the decades.
The mammoth’s bones will be reassembled and Zed will “stand tall for the first time since the Ice Age,”“We’re able to focus on the very first saber-toothed cat fossils that we’ve ever discovered ... As well as some of our Ice Age survivors ... like Pebbles the Puma ... Pebbles would have been the ancestor of some of the mountain lions that still live in Los Angeles today, including P-22 that passed away a couple years ago,” Lai said.
Then there’s the fish bowl: you know, the fossil lab with windows where you can watch researchers at work?
“So we’ll still have the fish bowl, but it’s going to be much more interactive and there’ll be much more discussion of what’s going on inside the fossil lab,” said Regan Dunn, assistant deputy director and curator at the new Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research. Dunn explained that the area where they store their collections of fossils and other specimens is getting major updates too.
“Super valuable, millions of specimens, will be in upgraded systems where there’s climate control. There’ll be enclosed cabinets and be under much better maintenance. And also allow for much more research to happen,” she said. The La Brea Tar Pits are still very much an active paleontological research site.
Dunn said any time a hole goes in the ground in the Hancock Park area, a new discovery is made. With new outdoor classrooms and a 1-kilometer pedestrian pathway that will take visitors past excavation sites, the idea is to make the research going on here more visible to the public. You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit.
Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead . Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community. Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved.
The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
Samiel Oschin Global Center For Ice Age Research Paleontology Ice Age Mammoth Saber-Toothed Cat Mastodon Mammoth
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Donald Trump Celebrates Stephen Colbert's Last 'Late Show' Show On CBSAbout an hour after Colbert's sign off, Trump posted on social media, 'Thank goodness he's finally gone.'
Read more »
UNC Tar Heels vs USC: Home-and-Home Series Canceled Due to Conference ChangesThe North Carolina Tar Heels and South Carolina Gamecocks have announced the cancellation of their home-and-home series scheduled for 2028 and 2029 due to changes in conference alignment. The schools cited expansions to their conferences leading to reduced non-conference scheduling opportunities.
Read more »
Netflix's Top Shows of the Last Five YearsThis article highlights 10 of Netflix's greatest hits from the last five years, showcasing the platform's consistent quality of content across various genres.
Read more »
La Brea Tar PitsVisit before iconic site closes for 2 years
Read more »