Fashion Museum Eyes Temporary Home
Plans for a new fashion industry museum in downtown Los Angeles appear to be advancing as Museum of Fashion Designers and Creators (MODAC) founder Irene Kasmer said she has reached an agreement in principal for a temporary home while she pursues other options to obtain a permanent home.
Kasmer, a fashion industry veteran who founded the museum more than 10 years ago, says the location of the temporary gallery is approximately 15,000 square feet near Grand Avenue and Eighth Street, where developer Shaul Kuba of the Hollywood-based CIM Group has taken over property formerly occupied by UCLA. CIM plans to build apartments on the site and has discussed allotting space to the museum, though no formal agreement has been signed.
Meanwhile, Kasmer’s decade-old plan to house the museum in a building on Broadway formerly occupied by the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner is not dead yet as the building’s developer, Urban Partners LLC, is still seeking tenants. The developer, who previously announced it was targeting the building for office space, may lease the building to the museum if MODAC can come up with the $2.10-to $2.25-per-square-foot lease rates. Kasmer said the building was part of the City of Los Angeles’ strategic plan to house the museum during Tom Bradley’s administration, but the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has stated that the plan was more of a guideline than a contract. The CRA nonetheless has been exploring opportunities to fund a temporary home for the museum.
The Examiner building, a 1913 Spanish Colonial revival design by Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan, along with its sister press building, is ideal for the museum because of its proximity to the Fashion District and its spacious 175,000-square-foot interior. Urban Partners’ Devan Pailet said the museum project “is still a possibility” for the building, though the developer is also talking with the YWCA and others.
Kasmer would like the CRA to obtain the building through eminent domain since the property is part of the Central City Redevelopment Area, but the county Board of Supervisors is suing the city over its redevelopment plan. Kasmer’s other option is to request the property be excluded from litigation, as certain parcels have been. She will meet with officials next week.
Kasmer is also lobbying large trusts and groups, including the Eli Broad Foundation, that have an interest in furthering educational ventures.
“This museum is for education and it’s for the industry, and we can’t waste any more time in getting this off the ground,” Kasmer said.
The fashion designer and historian has been collecting apparel and textiles since she was a child and has amassed more than 200,000 pieces dating back to before the Gold Rush.—Robert McAllister
