Israeli-American Architect Hagai Blazberg Expands Los Angeles Holocaust Museum with $70 Million Cultural Center

The Goldrich Cultural Center, a new addition to the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum, opened in mid-June as a striking architectural work by Israeli-American architect Hagai Blazberg. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, the center features organic, flowing lines and transparent facades that connect the interior spaces with the surrounding park, creating a sense of continuity and openness. The design includes a central canopy that unites various pavilions, offering visitors a contemplative meeting space.

Blazberg, who also designed the original museum opened in 2010, explained that the center’s layout encourages visitors to move naturally through the exhibits while viewing the vibrant life outside, highlighting the contrast between the Holocaust’s horrors and ongoing life beyond the museum walls. This contrast is a deliberate part of the museum’s message.

The expansion was driven by a surge in visitors, especially from educational institutions, growing from an expected 15,000 to over 100,000 annually, including 30,000 students. The new 6,500-square-meter center nearly doubles the museum’s size and houses 25,000 historical artifacts donated by Holocaust survivors, liberators, and their descendants. A notable exhibit is an original Holocaust-era freight car from near the Majdanek extermination camp, designed to offer an intimate, immersive experience.

The project was made possible by the City of Los Angeles allocating unused park land, an initial $8.5 million grant from California, and significant donations from philanthropists including the late Yona Goldrich, a Holocaust survivor and real estate developer. The total cost is estimated at $70 million. The center also includes a theater for cultural events and an interactive theater where visitors can engage with holographic representations of Holocaust survivors.

Both Blazberg and museum CEO Beth Kean have personal family histories tied to the Holocaust, which deeply inform their commitment to the project. Kean emphasized the importance of education and remembrance to prevent indifference and to honor the past. The center’s inaugural exhibition focuses on Jewish life in Europe before the Holocaust, aiming to humanize history and make it relevant to all visitors. Admission is free for children and youth under 17.