Credit: Perkins and Will

Our role as architects is to translate, through design, the very real, very significant voices and energy of Black LA.
– Zena Howard

Perkins and Will have broken ground on Destination Crenshaw, a 1.3mi (2.1km)-long outdoor art, culture and museum area celebrating Black Los Angeles (LA).

Running along Crenshaw Boulevard, Destination Crenshaw was conceived to celebrate the energy and accomplishments of Black LA, to document and preserve its 200 years plus of history, to seed a "community-driven, counterbalancing force against gentrification" and to drive economic security and opportunities for local residents.

The project, being delivered for LA's Council District 8, will provide an open-air space for people to enjoy, transforming sidewalks, business façades and public structures with art installations, pocket parks, culturally-themed street and landscaping improvements, new trees and green space.

Four themes will serve to inform the experience for people as they move through the area. 'Improvisation' will focus on the community’s resourcefulness, 'Firsts' on past and present African-American pioneers, 'Dreams' on community’s ability to create space for itself and 'Togetherness' on the area’s cultural infrastructure.

In addition to the completed destination providing business and career opportunities for local residents and supporting and helping to launch the careers of local artists, employment opportunities will also be created during the construction phase.

"Destination Crenshaw has been entirely driven by the community itself, and honours not just the neighbourhood as a creative hub, but also Black LA's impact on popular culture and social change," explained Zena Howard, lead architect and art curator at Perkins and Will. "Our role as architects is to translate, through design, the very real, very significant voices and energy of Black LA."

Sneak peek at Perkins + Will’s open-air museum in Los Angeles

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