La Brea Tar Pits Redevelopment Breaks Ground
Construction and cultural vendors in Los Angeles get a 2028 reopening timeline and an open $85 million funding gap.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County broke ground on the transformation of the La Brea Tar Pits' 13-acre campus in Hancock Park, backed by a $155 million raised toward a $240 million capital campaign. Operators in Los Angeles' cultural, construction and philanthropic sectors should note the public-private structure of the project.
Why it matters
The campaign has reached 65% of its goal, and its largest single pledge from the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation is the largest in the museum's history. Because the project is structured as a public-private partnership, its funding mix and progress markers give local cultural and construction businesses a concrete signal of where capital is flowing in the city.
The campaign has raised more than $155 million toward a $240 million goal, reaching 65% of its target, with the Ahmanson Foundation giving $10 million for the new fossil lab and the W. M. Keck Foundation and Vera Campbell each giving $5 million for the amphitheater and Science Education Gallery. The 13-acre campus is the scope of the transformation.
The players
Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County
The museum operates the La Brea Tar Pits campus and is running the capital campaign to transform the 13-acre site.
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation
The family foundation made the largest-ever donation in the museum's history, supporting the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research.
Ahmanson Foundation
The foundation gave $10 million to support the new fossil lab at the La Brea Tar Pits.
W. M. Keck Foundation
The foundation gave $5 million to support the new amphitheater on the campus.
Los Angeles County
The county is a lead public supporter of the campaign and the local government body whose funding anchors the project.
The details
The project is structured as a public-private partnership, with lead support coming from Los Angeles County, the State of California, the museum's Board of Trustees, and the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District. Private gifts from foundations and individuals are fitting into that public base, funding discrete components such as the fossil lab, the amphitheater and the Science Education Gallery. The Oschin Foundation's pledge will support the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research, which anchors the research side of the campus redevelopment.
Timeline
Earlier this year: Oschin Foundation made the landmark pledge, the largest in the museum's history.
November 2, 2026: Groundbreaking ceremony held in Hancock Park.
2028: Full campus reopening, including park and museum, is anticipated, in advance of the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Market Landscape
The La Brea Tar Pits campaign is being timed against a fixed deadline, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games, which gives the redevelopment a hard public milestone. The public-private funding structure, combining county and state money with foundation gifts, follows the model many large Los Angeles cultural capital projects use.
Operators in construction, design, and event services tied to the campus should watch the 2028 reopening timeline for procurement windows. Cultural and hospitality businesses near Hancock Park may see foot traffic shifts as the site reopens ahead of the Games.
The takeaway
Large cultural projects in Los Angeles are increasingly built on blended public and private capital, so vendors and partners should track milestone dates rather than only headline totals. Watch the remaining $85 million needed against the 2028 reopening target as the clearest signal of whether the campaign stays on schedule.
What happens next
The campus is anticipated to fully reopen, including the park and museum, in 2028 ahead of the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Further reading
For broader context on how large foundations shape city cultural projects, see Philanthropy coverage across Los Angeles.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Artdaily.
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