Los Angeles loves her murals, and if it's on Olvera Street, all the more important. The 80 by 18 foot América Tropical was painted on the south wall of the Italian Hall in El Pueblo in 1932 by Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros, but the mural's critique on the US was a little harsh for the city's tastes--América Tropical was painted over shortly after completion, according to the Getty, which is now working to restore the mural and, along with the city, add a Pugh + Scarpa-designed mural shelter, observation platform, and interpretive center.
The El Pueblo visitor center will be moving out of the first floor of the Sepulveda House, which will be renovated to house an interpretive center with exhibits designed by IQMagic. Among the challenges of working inside a district-sized Historical Monument: the architects will have to contend with LA's first aqueduct, the eighteenth century Zanja Madre, "which runs across a corner of the building's basement below the mural," according to the Getty's website. KPCC was at the groundbreaking yesterday and reports that the project is budgeted at $9 million and expected to open in two years. Check out more images on Pugh + Scarpa's site.
· Conservation of América Tropical [Getty]
· LA civic leaders break ground on Olvera Street mural visitor center [SCPR]
· Siqueiros Mural Interpretive Center [Pugh + Scarpa]