The film capital of the world is finally getting a museum to showcase cinema history.
On a 13-0 vote, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday gave final approval for a $300-million museum to be built on the former May Co. department store site on Wilshire Boulevard at Fairfax Avenue, adjoining the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Scheduled to open in 2017, the 290,000-square-foot Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will feature a treasure trove of Hollywood memorabilia and a 1,000-seat domed theater for screenings and events.
Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, the project is being built by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with contributions from an array of film industry heavyweights, including Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, Dolby Laboratories and China's Dalian Wanda Group.