Wende Museum Research Institute

Opening Spring 2028

Wende Museum Research Institute will transform a landmark 1965 midcentury building at 2311 W. El Segundo Blvd. in Hawthorne into a $16 million “living archive,” a first-of-its-kind hybrid of world-class research institute and interactive storage facility. Unlike traditional museum storage, where collections sit hidden away in boxes, the Institute puts the Wende’s more than 250,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs, tapestries, and Cold War-era artifacts on full view, making them accessible for discovery by scholars, students, and the general public alike.

Originally built as the corporate headquarters of shopping mall pioneer Ernest Hahn and designed by architect George Nowak, the 24,000 sq. ft. building will be renovated and expanded with a 7,000 sq. ft. extension. Inside, the Institute will serve as the permanent home of the Wende Collections and the headquarters of the Wende’s Collections Department, featuring museum-grade climate-controlled storage, a conservation workshop for endangered art and archives, and a digitization and imaging lab that will make the collections freely available online. Reading rooms, research offices hosting more than 100 visiting scholars and artist fellows each year, a library with community learning lab, and a scholars’ garden round out a space designed for inspiration as much as preservation.

Construction began in May 2026 with support from Arcadia Fund, Woodbridge, Pritzker Military Foundation, Edward and Peggy Robin Family Foundation, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Howard and Irene Levine Family Foundation, Glorya Kaufman Foundation, Roth Family Foundation, Victor Family Foundation, Dr. Ralph Walter, and David and Sandra Gordon.