Los Angeles County Museum of Art

In 1999, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art approached KAA Design to renovate their 3,000 square foot museum store. Initial planning sessions with the leadership and staff quickly pointed out the need for a broader and more customer-friendly approach to the museum experience and led to a master plan for LACMA's approach, ticketing, circulation, retail, and food service experience.  KAA Design completed three phases of renovations at the Museum, significantly changing the user-experience and adding to the museum's appeal as a significant Los Angeles entertainment destination. 

Shortly after, having just purchased the May Company buildng to expand the museum's campus and ability to house it's extensive encyclopedic collections, LACMA asked KAA to take on a renovation of that historic building. Designed in 1939 by A.C. Martin and Samuel Marks as the flagship location for the May Company Department Store, this iconic streamline moderne department store with its prominent cylindrical gold tower had long signaled the western entrance to Los Angeles' Wilshire Boulevard Miracle Mile district. The Los Angeles Conservancy had swung into action when the building was threatened with demolition for office towers and a hotel during the early 1990s and the building was soon given City Historic-Cultural Monument status.

In addition to helping with the restoration of the famous 'lipstick case tower' tile under tight conservation scrutiny, KAA designed 43,000 square feet of specialty galleries and retail space.  Inspired by the building's lipstick case corner, KAA designed a similar glowing icon as the centerpiece to the museum's central Welcome Center kiosk, the temporary Van Gogh gallery, the Wasserman Gallery and workshops, and administrative and conservation areas. Today, LACMA West is linked to the main campus by several exciting new galleries including the Broad Contemporary Art Museum and the Resnick Pavillion and two major works by James Turrell on LACMA West’s roof—Missed Approach and Boullée’s Boule.