The big revamp of the Ford Amphitheatre in the Cahuenga Pass is about to get started with improvements to the old amphitheater itself and some new additions. Upgrades will include a complete reconstruction of the 1,200-seat amphitheater's stage, new theater lighting, a new raised picnic area with space for 200 people, a two-story building with concessions and office space, a new sound wall and control booth, and measures to prevent mudslides and flooding, according to a press release. This first phase in a much grander plan for development around the theater comes courtesy of a surprise surplus of cash from the County Board of Supervisors (some improvements had already been planned, but they were much less ambitious).
Construction is expected to be finished by summer 2016 on this part of the longer-term project; there will be no summer 2015 season at the amphitheater. Levin & Associates is handling the design work and, when it's all finished, the Ford's overhaul will have new space for concessions, retail, offices, and transit to make the amphitheater more accessible to everyone (and generally easier to find) and to take it from a "performing arts facility open primarily on weekends to a multi-use cultural and recreational center open daily for a wide variety of users," as the environmental report put it.
· L.A. County Board finds extra cash to fund projects [LADN]
· Here's the Proposed Look For New Ford Amphitheatre Complex [Curbed LA]
· Ford Amphitheatre [Curbed LA]