GARDEN GROVE : City Disappointed in Museum Decision
News that the Southwest Museum--which had considered leaving Los Angeles for larger quarters--will stay in its current home came as a “big disappointment” to officials here, who had hoped the city would inherit the museum’s venerable repository of Native American artifacts.
“We thought that their operation would be an attraction with the ability to draw tourists,” Matthew Fertal, Garden Grove’s community development director, said Wednesday. “We thought we had offered a very attractive proposal.”
In choosing Los Angeles, the Southwest Museum board rejected about 80 offers from throughout Southern California. But only Ventura County and Thousand Oaks remained contenders for the museum after it announced it would need $35 million to construct a new building.
The city of Los Angeles has promised to establish a committee to help the 79-year-old museum expand its current location.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
