1930’s-era Streamline Moderne Building is Future Home of Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
(St. Louis, MO, Dec. 12, 2017) – Western Specialty Contractors branches in Los Angeles and Seattle. are teaming up on a project to restore the historic May Company building in Los Angeles — the future home of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Western crews are working alongside renowned historic preservation consultant John Fidler, New York Pritzker-Prize winning architect Renzo Piano, general contractor Matt Construction of Los Angeles and owner’s representative Paratus Group of New York.
“We work with a lot of great consultants, architects and general contractors, but it’s not every day that we get to work with the country’s leading authorities on historic preservation on such a prestigious project,” said Western’s Seattle Branch Manager Dave Kimble. “We are so honored and excited to have been given the opportunity to work with such a talented team of experts.”
Described by the Los Angeles Conservancy as the grandest example of Streamline Moderne architecture in Los Angeles, the historic May Company building, now called the Saban Building after donors Cheryl and Haim Saban, is undergoing an extensive expansion and renovation to accommodate the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ new museum. Scheduled to open in 2019, the 290,000-square-foot, six-story museum will celebrate and explore the history and art of films and filmmaking through exhibition galleries, a 288-seat theater, educational areas, restaurants and special-event space – all dedicated to creating the “Oscars experience.” Three glass bridges will connect the existing building to a new eye-catching, 130-foot tall sphere made of glass and concrete that will overlook the Hollywood Hills.
Western crews are installing new limestone and granite on a portion of the existing building’s facade, making limestone Dutchman repairs, waterproofing and repairing window frames, patching and cleaning stone, installing granite Dutchman repairs and waterproofing portions of the facade.
Constructed in 1939, the May Company building is located on Wilshire Boulevard next to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art campus, and is listed as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. The iconic building was once the finest department store on the Miracle Mile, and is most recognized by its predominant gold-tiled cylinder at the corner of Fairfax Avenue.
For more information about the museum, visit www.oscars.org/museum.
About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for more than 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures including: industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO with over 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit www.westernspecialtycontractors.com.
