Holocaust Museum LA is getting a dramatic second act. After a 10-month closure, the institution will reopen on June 14 as part of the new Jona Goldrich Cultural Center, a $70 million expansion that turns the museum into a 70,000-square-foot campus in Pan Pacific Park. The redesigned complex now stretches across a series of above-ground pavilions, a central canopy, and new gardens and performance spaces tucked next to The Grove. Museum leaders say the buildout is meant to broaden the museum’s reach, especially for school groups, and to support more public programming throughout the year. Opening-day admission will be free.
Project executives expect the Goldrich campus to draw roughly 500,000 visitors each year, including about 150,000 students, a steep increase from the museum’s earlier attendance. Organizers say the project cost is about $70 million and that the expanded campus nearly doubles the institution’s previous footprint. These figures and the June 14 opening date were reported by the Los Angeles Times.
What’s Inside the Goldrich
The Jona Goldrich Campus is being built out as both a museum and a gathering place. Inside, plans call for a 215-seat main theater for films and live events, along with a 60-seat Virtual Survivor Experience theater that allows visitors to interact with recorded testimonies. A Boxcar Pavilion will house an authentic cattle car unearthed near the Majdanek death camp in Poland, and the grounds will also include classrooms, an open-air performance plaza, and a rooftop garden with views of the Hollywood sign. The museum’s expansion materials provide a detailed walkthrough of the new galleries, theaters, and visitor amenities, according to Holocaust Museum LA.
Programming, Testimony, and the Opening Exhibit
When the doors reopen, the Goldrich will lean into rotating exhibitions and community programs. The inaugural show, “The Beautiful Game: The Untold Story,” traces soccer’s role in Jewish life and migration and is timed to coincide with the 2026 World Cup. A Dimensions in Testimony theater, equipped with USC Shoah Foundation technology, will feature recorded survivor interviews that can respond to visitors’ questions; debut presentations are slated to include Holocaust survivor Renée Firestone, who is 102 years old. Program details and comments from museum leadership were described in the Los Angeles Times.
From Survivors to a Citywide Resource
The institution’s roots stretch back to 1961, when Holocaust survivors in Los Angeles began collecting artifacts and teaching community classes. It is recognized as the first survivor-founded Holocaust museum in the United States. The new campus carries the name of co-founder Jona Goldrich and is supported by family and foundation gifts. Museum documents state that the expansion is intended both to preserve survivor testimony and to serve as a broader civic resource against hate, according to Holocaust Museum LA.
