Other museums, such as the Skirball Center and the Armand Hammer Museum have “cultural centers” and rent out facilities for private functions and catered events. Why is this any different?
The Museum of Tolerance is the only museum situated immediately adjacent to a quiet residential neighborhood. These homes were there for more than 40 years before the Museum was built, and many of the residents are the original owners, who purchased their homes shortly after WW II. They are now elderly, and many of the homeowners who live closest to the Museum have very serious health problems. The proposed expansion would put a 110,000 + sq. ft. building only 20 feet away from the property line of the modest-sized single-family home next door, and directly across the street from several even smaller single-family homes. The proposed plan includes an open-air rooftop “sculpture” garden designed to hold 500 people for an event that could last until midnight. The SWC also proposes to place an outdoor dining patio for its new restaurant directly in the line of sight of the three small homes across the street. The land on which the SWC proposes to build is zoned R1-1, which means that it i
