Studio Zewde

The Watts Towers campus is undergoing $22-million worth of in improvements.

As the Los Angeles area continues its construction and beautification push leading up to the 2028 Olympics, the historic Watts Towers Arts Center Campus is getting its first revamp and expansion since 1961. The renovation will include 30,000 sq ft of new park space, green infrastructure for stormwater capture and visitor amenities that include an outdoor amphitheater that will seat 250 people.

Crews broke ground for the $22-million project on Oct. 15 and completion is expected in summer 2028 prior to the start of the Olympics on July 14. New York-based Studio Zewde is the landscape architect with Sherwood Design Engineering. PENTA Building Group is the general contractor and Griffin Structures is the construction manager.

The existing low and level site, with its wet meadow vegetation, has presented stormwater challenges with frequent flooding and backup into some campus buildings and leaving standing pools of water.…