Academy museum in Miracle Mile gets OK from the City Council

The City Council voted 13-0 in favor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences museum moving ahead in the former May Co. building at Wilshire and Fairfax. The academy wants to finish the $300 million movie museum by 2017. The landmarked building will be modified in the rear with a giant sphere that will contain a theater. The architect is Renzo Piano.

Neighbors had objected that the museum would bring too much more traffic and noise. Fix the City said it may take legal action against the development. "I've got my war paint on now," said James O'Sullivan, vice president of Fix the City and head of the Miracle Mile Residential Assn. "If it were up to me I would say, 'Bring on the attorneys.'"

The City Hall go-ahead was an emotional moment for museum backers, per the LA Times:

The council's OK on Wednesday sparked an instant celebration among museum backers. Dawn Hudson, the motion picture academy's chief executive, cried as soon as the council voted.

She said afterward that she hadn't expected to tear up, but it had hit her emotionally because "this day is an event we've been waiting for and working toward for a long time."

After hugs all around inside the council chamber, Tom LaBonge, the outgoing City Council member whose district includes the museum site, ushered more than 30 academy officials and other supporters onto the City Hall steps for group pictures and further celebration.

Soon, Mayor Eric Garcetti came out to add his congratulations.

"Enjoy this moment. Enjoy your victory," the mayor told Hudson, academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs and key museum staffers.