At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Hammer Museum found itself at a crossroads:  the contemporary art center suffered from anonymity both in its local environment and within the cultural context of Los Angeles.  The existing building was characterized by its blank, seemingly impervious facades and multiple entryways that disoriented visitors.  The building is also located at a unique point in the city; one located at the edge of the University of California, Los Angeles campus and a high-profile business district to the south.

Originally built to showcase a private collection of historical paintings, the Hammer Museum has grown over 25 years to become an internationally recognized institution devoted to contemporary art and culture. Having outgrown the physical space for exhibitions, programs, and staff, the improvements encompass everything from the lobby to the courtyard to the galleries to the office tower.

Over the past two decades MMA has worked with the Museum to develop a strategic approach to update the existing facilities and add necessary program areas and provide a new visibility and vitality for the Museum as a whole. New and updated spaces include Billy Wilder Theater (2006), Courtyard Renovation and Education Lab (2012), John V. Tunney Bridge (2015), Galleries (2017), Nimoy Studio (2018), cafe (2018), bookstore (2022), new entry and lobby galleries (2023), 40,000 square feet of renovation to newly acquired space in the adjoining office tower (2023).

Taking advantage of the museum’s urban location, the design transforms the formerly vacant central courtyard into a vibrant hub for the museum, connecting routes throughout the museum and out into the campus and the city beyond. This strategy begins at the lowest parking level, creating an open, multivalent set of routes and connections throughout the courtyard, across the suspended bridge, and eventually to the museum’s upper levels to views of the surrounding streets and the sky.  Translucent and transparent elements organize these circulation routes while highlighting the active life of the building and the museum’s diverse programming.

The Hammer Museum building was originally designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes, and has over the last decade been enhanced and renovated by MMA. The office tower building, now owned by UCLA, was designed by architect Claud Beelman, a leader in the Art Deco and Modern movements on the West Coast in the middle of the last century.