The Getty Center to Close in Spring 2027 for Year-Long Renovation
The Getty Center, the J. Paul Getty Trust’s billion-dollar hilltop campus in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, will kick of its 30th year by closing to the public for a comprehensive refresh. Work will commence next March with plans to reopen the following spring—just in time for the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Per the Trust, the effort is “the most significant series of modernization initiatives” since the debut of the Richard Meier–designed Center in 1997.
Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, said in a statement that the year-long effort will “enhance the visitor experience across the Getty Center campus through reimagined spaces and new offerings, while prioritizing sustainability.” Fleming relayed to the New York Times that there is a common misconception that the Center is relatively brand new, while in reality, it is “starting to get a little long in the tooth.”
The closure will impact the center’s star attraction, the J. Paul Getty Museum, which is one of L.A.’s most highly trafficked art museums with 1.3 million visitors in 2025. The Brentwood campus is one of two locations of the Getty Museum, the second being roughly 10 miles away at the Getty Villa in Malibu. The Villa will remain fully open during the Getty Center’s closure during the duration of the renovations and offer expanding programming and a special gallery displaying notable works normally on view at the Getty Center. The Getty Villa was temporarily closed for several months last year following the catastrophic Palisades Fire, which torched parts of the compound’s landscape but did not impact the buildings and the priceless Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art housed within.
Additionally, the Getty will debut a new programming space on Sepulveda Boulevard, opposite the main entrance to the Getty Center, that will host events and exhibitions while the campus is closed. Once the Center reopens in spring 2028, the Getty will continue to use the space for special programming. Exhibitions opening ahead of next year’s closure include Paul R. Williams: Architecture Across the Color Line, a landmark show that marks the public debut of the pioneering, L.A.-based Black architect’s archives.
Much of the planned work at the Getty Center will focus on gallery improvements (some are already shuttered for energy-saving HVAC upgrades) and enhanced campus-wide accessibility. Also in the works is a reimagined Welcome Hall, including a new café and bookstore, and a campus-wide boost to WiFi and cell service.
Notably, a core focus of the campus revitalization project will on the Center’s famed tram. The driverless people mover system, which transports guests on a scenic, nearly mile-long journey from the center’s Interstate 405-adjacent parking structure up to the campus, will get a new propulsion system allowing it to expand its capacity. Post-renovation tram-riders will also enjoy a “redesigned arrival and departure experience” and new wayfinding.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the price tag for the campus overhaul is estimated between $600 and $800 million. The Getty has not publicly mentioned a project architect for the renovation work.
The Getty Center isn’t the only L.A. cultural institution closing for a makeover ahead of the Summer Olympics. The George C. Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits will close to the public this July ahead of a transformative redesign led by Weiss/Manfredi with plans to reopen in 2028.
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