A rendering of NHM Commons shows a new building set to open in 2024. (photo courtesy of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County)

The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County hosted a beam signing event on May 17 for NHM Commons, the new wing and community hub slated to open in 2024 on the southwest side of the Natural History Museum campus in Exposition Park. NHMLAC president and director Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga hosted the event and was joined by L.A. County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, 2nd District, CEO of Los Angeles County Fesia Davenport, Exposition Park general manager Andrea Ambriz, members of the NHMLAC Board of Trustees, donors to the capital campaign, special friends of the museum and community partners.

Guests in attendance were invited to add their signatures to the final beam of construction in permanent marker, a symbolic nod to this important phase in construction, to acknowledge the longevity of the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park and the significant value the new Commons area will have for the community.

The transformative $75 million NHM Commons expansion and renovation project, designed by Frederick Fisher & Partners with landscape design by Studio-MLA, will create approximately 75,000 square feet of renovated space and new construction that will serve as both a destination and a portal into the Museum, with new experiences designed by Studio Joseph. The indoor/outdoor NHM Commons spaces will enable NHM to expand its community-centered, co-created programming, thereby further connecting the public with science, nature, culture, heritage and community, while creating opportunities for people to come together to experience NHM, with or without a ticket.

“Today, we sign the last beam that will top off the frame of our new NHM Commons wing and celebrate this major construction milestone,” Bettison-Varga said. “This transformative expansion will be a dynamic community hub with a multitude of new and refreshed spaces that will burst with vital, enriching and accessible experiences celebrating the intersections of science, nature, culture, heritage and community.”

For information, visit nhmlac.org.