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SOUTHWEST MUSEUM

The historic Southwest Museum campus, perched on a hilltop along the Arroyo Seco, is an architectural treasure and icon of northeast Los Angeles. The Conservancy has been active in the effort to save the landmark since the 1990s, and we continue to work with its owners to ensure its preservation, revitalization, and public use.

Southwest Museum collection

The first museum in Los Angeles, the Southwest Museum of the American Indian was created in the early 1900s by Charles Fletcher Lummis, a central figure in the region’s early history. Lummis is considered by many to be the father of historic preservation in Southern California, having founded the Landmarks Club in 1895 to promote restoration of the badly deteriorated eighteenth-century missions. The Southwest Museum was one of Lummis’ most significant projects, intended to make Southern California “one of the nation’s chief centers of culture.”

LAC archives

Designed by Sumner Hunt and Silas Burns in the Mission Revival style, the Southwest Museum building opened in 1914. It was home to one of the world’s finest collections of Native American artifacts and stood as a cultural focal point in northeast Los Angeles for more than seventy-five years. The museum building is a designated Historic-Cultural Monument and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Photo by Bob Brennan

In 1990, the directors of the Southwest Museum announced that they were seeking a new location for some or all of the museum’s collections and exhibits, citing antiquated and insufficient storage facilities. The proposal was met immediately by strong public protest, particularly among museum members, the Conservancy, and residents of the surrounding communities of Highland Park, Mount Washington, and Eagle Rock.

There was great concern that the building itself was at risk if the Southwest Museum left the site. The protests stressed the cultural significance of the museum in the history of northeast Los Angeles and the building itself was a very visible and iconic structure in the community. The Conservancy prepared a National Register nomination for the property. The Southwest Museum objected to the designation, which prohibited the actual listing, although the site was declared eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

Courtesy Pacobear on Flickr

In 2003, the financially struggling Southwest Museum merged with the Autry Museum of the American West, prompting widespread concern about the fate of the historic site. The Conservancy joined the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition, composed of a diverse range of community groups and individuals. One of the first things the Autry did after acquiring the site was withdraw the objection to listing the Southwest Museum in the National Register of Historic Places, and it was formally listed soon thereafter. The Autry also proposed expanding its Griffith Park facility, largely to adequately store and conserve the Southwest collection.

LAC archives

In 2006, the Coalition issued a position paper calling for the Autry to commit to the continued operation of the Southwest as a museum facility in perpetuity. While the Conservancy advocates for maintaining the original use of a historic building whenever feasible, our mission is first and foremost the preservation of the historic resource itself. With regard to the Southwest Museum, we felt the need to prioritize the preservation of the site, and public access to it, over its continued use as a museum.

The Conservancy’s Advocacy Committee (a subset of its Board of Directors) agreed to the Autry’s plan so long as it kept the landmark publicly accessible and would allow continued use of the historic galleries for public display of parts of the Southwest’s collection. When the Autry publicly committed to bringing an active educational use to the site and retaining its two historic galleries, the Conservancy withdrew from the Coalition in November 2006. Our support was, and remains, contingent on the Autry’s sound stewardship of the historic Arroyo Seco campus, and the development of a programmatic use for the site that will ensure that it remains an active and vibrant presence in its community.

Courtesy Cheryljns on Flickr

In April 2007, at the request of the Highland Park Heritage Trust, the Conservancy’s Advocacy Committee considered a preservation option for the Southwest Museum prepared by Garavaglia Architects, known as the Friends of the Southwest Museum Plan. The plan called for the retention of existing historic structures, new construction, and enhanced parking and infrastructure. The Conservancy reiterated our support for the Autry’s plans to keep the building in active use, while clarifying that we remain open to other potential scenarios for the Southwest campus, including the vision proposed by the Friends of the Southwest Museum Plan.

LAC staff

The Southwest Museum campus closed in 2006 for much-needed repairs and upgrades, including waterproofing and retrofit. The site is expected to open in 2010 with a satellite campus for Los Angeles Community College. The Autry is pursuing a longer-term planning process for new cultural uses for the site, including exhibition of part of the Southwest collection, public programs, and educational uses.

The Conservancy will continue to work to ensure that this landmark maintains its historic integrity and has an active, public use that retains its deep connection with Charles Lummis’ original vision for the Southwest as a center for learning and culture.