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Los Angeles is getting a major new cultural space this summer and at the center of it is one of the country’s oldest Holocaust museums, now reimagined with a rooftop garden, performance theater and immersive new technology.
On June 14, the longtime Holocaust Museum LA will reopen as part of the brand-new Goldrich Cultural Center, a massive reimagining of the museum’s campus inside Pan Pacific Park that hopes to turn the site into something far bigger than a traditional museum.
The expanded campus, designed by architect Hagy Belzberg, centers around an enormous open-air canopy that connects every building on the property. The idea, according to organizers, is radical openness: visitors literally enter and exit through the same shared public space, regardless of why they came.
The new complex will also include the S. Mark Taper Theater for performances, lectures and film screenings, plus the GRoW @ Annenberg Rooftop Garden, which promises sweeping views of the Hollywood Hills. There’s also a Reflection Garden built with reclaimed wood from recent Los Angeles wildfire zones, a multimedia pavilion anchored by an authentic railway car and a permanent installation called Meet Your Neighbors, featuring resident-submitted photos and poems translated into 24 languages. Perhaps the most futuristic addition is the Virtual Survivor Experience, a 60-seat theater where visitors can interact with a holographic Holocaust survivor through voice-recognition technology.
Still, the broader goal here is to create a civic gathering place in a moment when public spaces increasingly feel fractured.
“The Goldrich Cultural Center is digging in with its shovels and our hearts to continue building an institution that since day one has been dedicated to teaching the lessons of the Holocaust and its social relevance to inspire positive action,” said CEO Beth Kean in an official statement. “We are creating an inclusive, welcoming space for people of all backgrounds and ages to learn, dialogue, foster empathy, feel inspired and spread kindness and hope.”
The project also dramatically expands the museum’s ambitions—and likely its audience. Organizers estimate annual visitation could jump from roughly 70,000 people to more than 500,000.
Opening day admission on June 14 will be free, meaning Angelenos can wander through rooftop gardens, immersive exhibitions and one of the country’s oldest survivor-founded Holocaust museums without spending a dime. In Los Angeles terms, that may be the most shocking part of all.