Academy Museum’s glassy sphere is taking shape on the Miracle Mile

Those who’ve recently cruised by the future site of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures have probably caught a glimpse of the 130-foot tall, glass and concrete sphere taking shape just north of Wilshire and Fairfax.

The sphere is the visual centerpiece of the forthcoming museum, which will take up space in the renovated 1939 May Company structure on Miracle Mile, as well as in the glassy orb currently under construction behind the former May Company.

The historic Streamline Moderne building in front of the sphere will house museum exhibits like screenplays, an original model of the shark from Jaws, and over 60,000 pieces of “production art” like the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz.

The eye-catching glass and concrete sphere will hold the museum’s theater and observation deck. The sphere is the most technically challenging part of the museum project, which is designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano.

Courtesy of Sterling Davis/Curbed LA flickr pool

Delayed multiple times, the project has blown through its initial $250 million budget and is now expected to cost nearly $400 million. The project’s expected completion date has been pushed back more than once. The most recent projection estimates the museum will be finished in April 2019.

If you haven't passed by the site in a while, here's a peek at what you're missing:

• The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is over-budget and behind schedule [Curbed LA]
• Academy Museum’s giant glass sphere will begin to take shape in June [Curbed LA]