CEDA Issues $37 million for Holocaust Museum LA Expansion

The California Enterprise Development Authority (CEDA) worked with Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach, the National Jewish Federation Bond Program, and Kutak Rock to issue $37,000,000 for the Holocaust Museum LA expansion, which will break ground on November 15, 2023.

Holocaust Museum LA was founded in 1961, and operates a museum dedicated to the survivors of the Holocaust on property leased from the City of Los Angeles. Through customized tours, artifact-rich exhibitions, creative educational programs, and intergenerational conversations with survivors, the museum teaches students and visitors to think critically about the lessons of the Holocaust and its social relevance today. It is the only cultural institution in Los Angeles with a sole focus on the horrific impact and the enormity of the Holocaust that is free for students from anywhere across the globe.

On October 14, 2010, Holocaust Museum LA opened the doors to its permanent home in Pan Pacific Park. The museum building, designed by acclaimed architect Hagy Belzberg, has received many architectural awards. The number of visitors to the Museum has increased by over 400% since 2011. As a result, the Museum has been forced to turn away schools and tour groups.

The $37 million CEDA-issued expansion will increase the museum from 28,000 to 50,000 square feet, and will increase the annual visitor capacity to 500,000 by 2030, including 150,000 students. It will expand educational programs and preserve Holocaust survivor testimonies through cutting-edge technology and also allow the display of new, temporary, and traveling exhibits, in addition to curating exhibits from the Museum’s own collection. The expansion also includes new indoor and outdoor spaces that will double the Museum’s footprint in Pan Pacific Park. The new Learning Center Pavilion, adjacent to the existing building, will include a dedicated theater; a 200-seat theater for film screenings, concerts, conferences and public programs; outdoor reflective spaces; two classrooms for large student groups and programs for younger audiences; and 2,500 sq. ft. of special exhibit space. In addition, a new Boxcar Pavilion built to house an authentic boxcar found outside of Majdanek death camp in Poland will be constructed on top of the existing building.