Changes bubble up at La Brea Tar Pits

Download Latest Issue

By Edwin Folven / January 22, 2026

Plans calls for the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum to undergo major alterations, including upgrades to the open space along Wilshire Boulevard. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved minor amendments to the La Brea Tar Pits Master plan on Jan. 13, clearing another hurdle in the final approval process for the extensive re-envisioning project planned at the historic site along Wilshire Boulevard.

The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County also announced the creation of the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research at La Brea Tar Pits, a new world-class research center. The new center is made possible by a leading philanthropic gift from the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation. With the gift, NHM has raised $131 million toward the $240 million needed for the Reimagining La Brea Tar Pits Campaign.

“There is no place on Earth like La Brea Tar Pits. It is fitting to honor my husband Samuel Oschin’s legacy by supporting science and research in the heart of Los Angeles, a city he helped to develop and shape,” said Lynda Oschin, board chair and secretary of the foundation. “Sam and I started the foundation in order to inspire future generations by supporting organizations that deepen our understanding of the world around us. Through this work, I know the lessons of Ice Age Los Angeles will inspire countless scientists and young students here and globally.”

“The Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research marks a critical milestone for the future of La Brea Tar Pits,” NHM president and director Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga, said. “The Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation’s transformational gift allows us to amplify the research that has always been at the heart of the Tar Pits, and to more fully integrate it into a revitalized and modernized campus that connects science, landscape, education and community in powerful new ways. With cutting-edge research as its core mission, the reimagined Tar Pits will be one of the most consequential scientific and cultural sites in the world.”

The Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research will support the Natural History Museum’s transformation of the 13-acre park. The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum re-envisioning plan was designed by the architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi. NHM has also unveiled new renderings. The design’s new one-kilometer triple pedestrian loop connects active excavation sites, research and exhibition spaces and a central green into a single, continuous experience, according to a description provided by NHM. Iconic features such as the museum’s historic frieze and grass slopes are preserved and expanded, and research and exhibition spaces and community access will be increased.

The new museum entrance and tapered gallery window frame views into the museum from the central green, while the renovated research labs, education spaces and exhibition galleries allow people to see science up close. Sloped walkways provide accessible routes to the park’s grass slopes, providing universal access to a roof terrace with views of the museum’s frieze and the Tar Pits campus. New Pleistocene gardens at the Wilshire Boulevard entry and within the museum courtyard will provide living examples of Ice Age history at the site.

The board of supervisors approved the environmental impact report last February and OK’d alterations to the original project design on Jan. 13, including a new external elevator and staircase at the Page Museum, and the addition of 2,813-square-feet of office space and a catering kitchen. The project is expected to be built in phases over a series of years. Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, 2nd District, expressed enthusiasm about the project.

“As we all endure the effects of a changing planet, there has seldom been a more important time to expand opportunities to discover our natural world. This board action brings us one step closer to making that possible for countless Los Angeles County residents through the transformation of the La Brea Tar Pits – one of the world’s most important geologic sites,” Mitchell said. “This project prioritizes the creation of accessible educational facilities, providing world-class learning opportunities for our communities and future scientists and civic leaders.”