After waiting for nearly a century, the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will soon get the museum they’ve been asking for.
Since 1927, silent film stars like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks have been commenting on how the organization needed a library and museum, and by this winter the city’s long wait will be over. Tom Hanks took the stage at the 92nd Oscars this past February to announce that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will open its doors to the public on December 14, 2020!
The Academy Museum for National Pictures will sit across 300,000 square feet in Hollywood costing around $388 million as it takes over the former May Company building located at the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax. Although no historic elements remain inside of the 1939-built department store, architects are going through great measures to restore the exterior and iconic gold mosaic.
The museum will feature exhibits from the Academy’s collection of 12 million photographs and 80,000 screenplays, as well as props, posters, costumes, and set elements from classic films like The Wizard of OZ and Casablanca. Oscar statuettes that were donated by actors and filmmakers will also make an appearance.
The new hub for film lovers will include a glass-domed sphere with a breathtaking view of the Hollywood hills, in addition to a 1,000-seat theater. Visitors will also have the opportunity to experience being in a movie through immersive exhibits and even get a chance to walk on a red carpet and receive an Academy award. Film historian, Kerry Brougher, tells VOA news that touring the Academy Museum will be a journey. “You won’t necessarily know what’s coming next, what’s around the next corner. And you’ll be in environments sometimes that make you feel like you’ve gone back to the past, that you’re in the era that you’re actually exploring.”