Scottish Rite building to reopen this month as ‘Marciano Art Foundation’
CLEANED EXTERIOR and new roof showcase the monumental statuary, mosaic artwork and artistic features originally part of the former Scottish Rite Temple on Wilshire Blvd.
Work is complete on the interiors of the adaptive reuse of the 1962 Scottish Rite Temple building in Windsor Square, and art is beginning to adorn the walls.
Soon to reopen as the Marciano Art Foundation, the building will showcase works from the contemporary art collection of brothers Maurice and Paul Marciano. The works to be shown will be by well-established, mid-career and emerging artists, predominately from the 1990s to the present.
Maurice and Paul and their two other brothers moved to Los Angeles in 1981 from the south of France. The four founded a small denim company that grew to become large and famous as GUESS?.
The story of Maurice and Paul becoming involved with contemporary art and collecting is told on the website of their Foundation: marcianoartfoundation.org.
Information about public visits to the new, private museum will be found on the website as well.
Building renovation
The Foundation purchased the historic Scottish Rite building, long a source of neighborhood controversy because of its misuse by previous occupants, in 2013. Three years of construction have focused on creating state-of-the-art exhibition space under the direction of architect Kulapat Yantrasat of wHY Architects. At the same time, wHY and the Foundation have preserved most of the historic building’s monumental exterior, including many features, inside and out, originally created circa 1960-62 by noted California artist Millard Sheets.
The Foundation’s first public access will be on Thurs., May 25, when guests with advance reservations may visit. Visitation is limited due to the restrictions of the Park Mile Specific Plan, and only visitors with advance online reservations will be allowed to enter the building.
Public visitation will be Thurs. to Sun., from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be no charge to visit, and ticket reservations will be available on the website starting May 1.
Category: News
