Getty Center, Los Angeles

The Getty Center

Los Angeles, CA

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Design, Planning, and Construction

Jean Paul Getty was born in 1892 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Over the course of his life, he amassed a wealth that was greater than any American at the time. In fact, in 1966, Fortune Magazine named him the richest living American. He accumulated his wealth mostly in the oil industry, especially after he acquired Pacific Western Oil Corporation, which later became Getty Oil.

Getty was very frugal, and this was widely known at the time. In 1973, he even negotiated his own grandson’s kidnapping ransom. By the time he passed away, his frugality led to a $661 million dollars of savings, which was used to build the Getty Villa. The trust that owns and operates the Getty Villa, along with the Getty Center and several other museums, is the wealthiest art institution in the world.

The Getty Center came after the Getty Villa, and even getting to the point of a selected site was a long and arduous process. The iconic, 24-acre site that sits almost 1,000 feet above sea level off the 405 was eventually selected as the site for the Getty Center. It would be designed and built by Richard Meier, who had designed numerous other museums across the United States. Reaching an agreement with the neighbors was also a challenge, because they believed Meier’s white-dominated would be a good fit for the neighborhood. All parties finally agreed to a compromise, where the building’s cladding would be comprised of travertine and aluminum panels. When visiting the Getty Center today, the most striking attribute of the building’s design is the uniformity of travertine lining the façade. Nearly 300,000 pieces of travertine give the building its character and make for a unique and unforgettable design.

Building a museum that is home to such invaluable art and history requires a design that has extreme resiliency, especially against fires and earthquakes. During construction of the Getty Center in 1994, the Northridge earthquake shook the entire Los Angeles area. Some may think of this as a negative, but it allowed the project’s engineers to observe the way that the building reacted to an earthquake and make any modifications that needed to be made. While the project broke ground in 1989, it was not complete until 1997. In total, the project took eight years and over $1 billion dollars were spent. The total project square footage stands at over 1,000,000, most of which is underground. Nowadays, the Getty Center is known as one of the safest buildings in Los Angeles. This was tested in October of 2019, when the hillside that the Getty Center sits on caught fire and ravaged 600 acres. The Getty Center was not only safe but was able to accommodate 200 firefighters for weeks.

 

Fire in Los Angeles, CA near Getty Center - Oct, 2019

The Getty Center Today

Today, nearly 1.6 million people visit the Getty Center every year. This averages out to over 4,300 people per day! People visit mainly to see the art exhibitions, views, and lush and well-designed garden. Going to the Getty Center is such a unique experience. After parking in the underground lot submerges down over 100 feet, visitors can choose to walk up a sizable hill or take a monorail to the Getty Center itself.

The art is filled with Getty’s private art collection, which was started as early as 1904. His collection is marked by his riskiness as a collector which was one of the main reasons for his success as a businessman. His collection is very diverse, with sculptures, paintings, eclectic furniture, and many more artifacts. The pieces come from a variety of time periods, even from different centuries. Some of J. Paul Getty’s favorite pieces were exquisitely knitted Middle Eastern rugs that still proudly sit in the museum today.

Rug at the Getty Center

The views from the Getty Center are incredible. From the mountains to the suburbs to the city, the Getty Center has views that are unforgettable from tourists and even Los Angeles natives. The best part of enjoying the views is how diverse they are from infinite angles. For instance, the view looking west at the first level is so completely different from the views looking north at the third level. Even after visiting the Getty Center multiple times, there is always something new to see.

The garden is the not-so-hidden jewel of the Getty Center. It is at the back of the property, and the main features are the flower-lined pathways and the multiple water features. All the vegetation is perfectly maintained despite its large size of 134,000 square feet. According to the Getty Center’s website, “the foliage and materials of the garden are selected to accentuate the interplay of light, color, and reflection.” The garden is home to over 500 different plant materials, and this is obvious when visiting and seeing the extreme diversity of colors, shapes, and patterns. 

Lush Vegetation at The Getty Center Garden

After being completed in 1997, the Getty Center has remained one of the most iconic art museums and unique spaces in the Los Angeles area and the entire world. Before the Getty Center was built, Los Angeles was primarily known as a place to go to the beach and to visit the mountains. It wasn’t until museums like the Getty Center were built until Los Angeles that it was known as the art and culture mecca that it is known as today. The Getty Center continues to evolve today with new seasonal exhibits including a digital information institute. This allows the Getty Center to stay ahead of the curve and keeps the appeal for visitors to continue to visit at very high frequency. In the next few years, decades, and possibly centuries, the Getty Center will continue to inspire young and old artists around the world. Visiting the Getty Center is an absolute essential for any Los Angeles natives or tourists looking for a truly authentic Los Angeles experience. The amount of effort, planning, and artistic genius that went into the pieces that line the walls and floors of the museums is something to marvel at, let alone the incredible building itself.

Sources

“Carpet (Getty Museum).” The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles, www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/5392/made-in-the-chaillot-workshops-of-philippe-lourdet-and-simon-lourdet-savonnerie-manufactory-carpet-french-about-1665-1667/.

“Getty Museum Endowed.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Feb. 2010, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/getty-museum-endowed.

“History of Getty.” About the Getty, www.getty.edu/about/whoweare/history.html.

Rylah, Juliet Bennett. “How The Iconic Getty Center Came to Be.” RSS, 3 Apr. 2018, www.welikela.com/history-of-the-getty-center/.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “J. Paul Getty Museum.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 17 Dec. 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/J-Paul-Getty-Museum.