Glendale approves Armenian American Museum plans
Glendale’s future Armenian American Museum took a step forward last week when the Glendale City Council approved preliminary designs for the building and surrounding Glendale Central Park.
Glendale City council is moving ahead with negotiations to lease city property near Brand Boulevard and Colorado Street, where the museum would rise, to the Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California. The 95-year lease is $1 dollar per year for the first 55 years.
“We are looking forward to working with our City and community members to help make this historic project a reality and create a positive impact that will ripple through generations to come in our community,” stated Museum Executive Committee Chairman Berdj Karapetian.
The day before the 103rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, community members and proponents of the museum filled Glendale City Hall to view the unanimous vote by the Glendale City Council. Museum representatives presented their vision for a three-story, 59,800 square-foot cultural and educational complex that would be located in the southwest corner of Central Park. The Museum will feature Permanent & Traveling Exhibitions, Performing Arts Theater, Demonstration Kitchen, Learning Center, Archives, Café, and Store. City Staff and urban design firm SWA Group also presented their vision for a redesigned Central Park that would preserve the park’s open space, improve its amenities, and serve the community as “Glendale’s new gathering place” with the Museum as its focal point.
Designs by Glendale-based Alajajian Marcoosi Architects show a roughly rectangular building, with a dynamic and jagged exterior. The facade of the museum is meant to echo both the Verdugo Mountains in Glendale and the mountains of Armenia.
The three-story museum would be served by a three-level parking garage, to be built under the structure.
The block surrounding the museum would be reworked to create more park space as part of an interconnected but ultimately separate project called the Central Park Block master design.
Following the landmark approval, the Armenian American Museum plans to launch its capital campaign to raise funds for the construction of the cultural and educational center. The Museum will be hosting a Community-Wide Telethon on September 9, 2018 and holding its inaugural Gala at the Dolby Theater on December 9, 2018.
For more information, visit www.ArmenianAmericanMuseum.org.
