UCSD Museum of Contemporary Art

An expanded art experience is coming this spring to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla

As the former home of Ellen Browning Scripps, the new building will feature thoughtfully designed spaces

The Jacobs Hall in the museum is one of the new meeting spaces featuring panoramic views of the ocean

The fire destroyed her house on Prospect Street in 1915. In order to build the fireproof concrete home she needed, Ellen Browning Scripps contacted Irving Gill, a pioneer in the modernist movement, to build her a new fireproof concrete home, using the same architectural language he had used for Bishops School and La Jolla Womans Club across the street.

In addition to her home, Scripps' style is on display in the building, which is now home to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. As construction nears completion, MCASD will unveil its $100 million expansion this spring. The expansion doubles the number of exhibition spaces, quadruples gallery space, expands meeting spaces, and includes new outdoor spaces.

From the terrace of the Una Davis and Family home, looking north

Currently, finishing touches are being completed, and only last month the museum received a National Endowment for the Arts grant to mount Selections from the Collection safely.

MCASD, known for its world-class rotating exhibits, also has a stunning collection of its own. We have finally found a space to display the collection the museum has accumulated over the years, exults Kathryn Kanjo, CEO, MCASD. Its collection comprises more than 5300 objects dating roughly from 1950 to the present. Bringing our permanent collection into our exhibitions space will be a first in our history.

From the Jackson Terrace, looking south

In addition to having an international perspective, MCASD's permanent collection demonstrates a pride in both time and place, boasting strengths in abstraction and minimalism and Latin American and installation art. According to Kanjo, it is a portrait of our lifetimes in many ways.

The house donated by Scripps trustees in 1941 to the Art Center of La Jolla has been renovated and expanded several times since then. During a 1996 renovation, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown uncovered the previously hidden facade of the original house.

Public parking lots have been turned into an art park

This time, Selldorf Architects was contracted for the expansion, which has worked for clients ranging from the Frick Collection to the National Gallery in London and is known for creating exceptional exhibition spaces that are also sensitive to their surroundings and programming.

Annabelle Selldorf, chief architect at La Jolla, explains that she hoped to encourage generosity, inclusion and collaboration through the site and views of the Pacific Ocean.

Kanjo says the museum is not just a building that houses art. Individually or in groups, people come here to interact with that art.

The original Scripps house is located at Gill Court

Original Scripps house on Gill Court

A key aspect of Kanjo's thinking is that he is aligned with a transformation in museums that has transformed them from temple-like repositories to active hubs for community engagement.

Additionally, the new design adds a large entry to the south, shifting the flow of the space, as two new ocean-view terraces celebrate the breathtaking views. The renovation also creates an actual park from a former parking lot, adding to its inclusive spirit.

The reopening of MCASD will also feature Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s, the first exhibition to showcase the French American artist best known locally for her Sun God.

A 14-foot bird perched on top of a 15-foot concrete arch in the Stuart Collection at UC San Diego. mcasd.org