City Council Vote on Autry Expansion Scheduled for This Morning

The Los Angeles City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a measure that would give it jurisdiction over a proposed plan by the Autry National Center to expand the Griffith Park museum space, a project that some locals fear jeopordizes the future of the

The Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Commission on Friday approved the Autry’s $6.9 million expansion proposal, which prompted members of the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition to luanch an email campaign, urging Councilmen Jose Huízar (CD 14) and Ed Reyes (CD 1) to take the reins of the issue.

Section 245 of the Los Angeles City Charter grants the city council permission to claim jurisdiction over any city board decision within five regular council meetings.

Since the parks and recreation commission approved Autry’s expansion plan on May 20, the board has until Wednesday, June 1, to claim the issue before its  jurisdiction runs out.

Should the motion pass, the Autry’s expansion plan would then be referred to the Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee for review.

The Autry merged with the struggling Southwest Museum in 2003, in what the community saw as a mutually beneficial partnership, considering the Autry's strong financial standing and the Southwest Museum's billion-dollar collection.

However, instead of leading to a rebirth, the Southwest Museum's merger with the Autry has resulted in the closure of the museum to the public. 

In 2005, the Autry shut down public exhibitions at the Southwest Museum and then completely closed its doors to the public in 2009.

Coalition members argue that any expansion of the Autry’s Griffith Park location would further marginalize the Southwest Museum and decrease the likelihood that it would even reopen as showing space for its massive collection.

According to the proposal submitted to the commission, the Autry’s plan calls for “the renovation and reconstruction of two exhibit galleries, the installation of long-term exhibits, the conversion of an existing outdoor area into an outdoor teaching garden, and associated improvements including the renovation of existing restrooms.”

The project will be paid for through $6.9 million that the Autry received from California’s Prop. 84 Nature Education Facilities (NEF) Program, which was established to support projects geared toward providing environmental and natural history education.

Yadhira De Leon, a spokesperson for the Autry National Center, said despite rumors to the contrary, reopening the Southwest Museum has remained a priority for the Autry.

"We're seeking partners to reopen the Southwest Museum," De Leon said in a recent email message to Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch.

However, she said given the collection's massive size, as well as  the condition of the Southwest Museum itself, which was damaged during the Northridge Earthquake of 1994, there is a massive restoration effort that first needs to be completed before the museum can be reopened.

The council meets on Tuesday, May 31, at 10 a.m. in the John Ferraro Council Chamber, room 340. The Southwest museum issue is listed at item number 21 on the city council's agenda. The meeting can also be streamed online here.