June 20, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Culver City’s Wende Museum Looking to Expand to Include Housing for Homeless Artists

Community center, garden and more also planned

By Sam Catanzaro

Culver City’s Wende Museum is proposing a major expansion that would include affordable housing for homeless artists, a community center, garden space and more. 

The proposed redevelopment would take place in two phases, calling for the construction of a three-story community center, affordable housing units and reconfigured community garden, with related site improvements. 

The first phase proposes the addition of a 7,000-square-foot community center, a garden, and space for events and performances. As part of this initial plan, one existing structure, a 2,200-square-foot building, would be razed, while a current A-frame would remain to be combined with the new development. As part of this phase, which is expected to take nine months, the existing garden would be expanded to connect with the community center. 

The second phase, a Culver City-led endeavor, calls for the replacement of an existing community garden to build six units – around 325 square feet each – for low-income, homeless artist residents. This phase does not have a defined timeline but is expected to be completed within four years. 

If all goes according to plan, which has not yet been finalized, the project would start in January 2022 with the first phase finishing in October 2022. 

AUX Architecture is designing the community center and the housing components of the project. 

The Wende Museum of the Cold War, located at 10808 Culver Blvd in Culver City, was founded in 2002 by Justinian Jampol, a native of Los Angeles and scholar of modern European history, to “address the wholesale neglect and rampant destruction of Cold War material culture in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.” Wende is a German word meaning “turning point” or “change” that has come to describe the transformative period around the fall of the Berlin Wall. 

“The Wende Museum holds an unparalleled collection of art and artifacts from the Cold War era, which serves as a foundation for programs that illuminate political and cultural changes of the past, offer opportunities to make sense of a  changing present, and inspire active participation in personal and social change for a better future,” reads the museum’s website

In 2017, the museum opened a new home in a Cold War artifact, the 1940s Culver City armory.

Related Posts

Journalist Files Lawsuit After Being Hit by ‘Less Lethal’ Munition Fired by Sheriff’s Deputies

June 17, 2025

June 17, 2025

LASD Faces Legal Claim After Journalist Wounded at Anti-Ice Rally  Independent photojournalist Nick Stern has filed a civil rights claim...

US Marines Temporarily Detain Civilian Near Federal Building in West Los Angeles

June 16, 2025

June 16, 2025

Military Confirms First Known Detention by Active-Duty Troops Deployed by Trump U.S. Marines temporarily detained a civilian near the Wilshire...

Americans Split on Immigration and Tariffs’ Impact on Housing Affordability, Survey Shows

June 15, 2025

June 15, 2025

Survey Finds Over Half Believe Less Immigration Could Drive Up Home Prices  A new Redfin-commissioned survey reveals that U.S. homeowners...

‘No Kings: National Day of Defiance’ Protest in LA to Run Counter to Donald Trump’s Birthday Military Parade

June 13, 2025

June 13, 2025

Giant Trump Balloons, Pride Flags, and Community Speakers Will Fill the Streets on Flag Day Thousands of demonstrators are expected...

Local Representatives Jaqui Irwin, Brian Allen, and Horvath to Host Wildfire Preparedness Webinar

June 11, 2025

June 11, 2025

Virtual Wildfire Forum to Cover Readiness, Insurance, Public Safety Q&A Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, State Senator Ben Allen, and Los Angeles...

Authorities Searching for Missing 12-Year-Old Girl Last Seen on Century Boulevard

June 11, 2025

June 11, 2025

Sheriff’s Department Seeks Tips in Disappearance of At-Risk Juvenile The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s...

ICE Detentions Confirmed in Culver City and Westchester Car Washes Amid Federal Raids

June 10, 2025

June 10, 2025

Families Say Loved Ones Taken Without Warning; Viral Video Shows Teen Screaming  While the focus has been on cities such...

Eight-Story Affordable Housing Project Planned for West Los Angeles

June 8, 2025

June 8, 2025

279 Income-Restricted Unit Building Proposed in Council District 5 Plans have been filed to replace a vacant commercial structure on...

Hollywood History for Sale: Brentwood Estate Once Rented by Audrey Hepburn Listed For Sale

June 8, 2025

June 8, 2025

Previously Owned by Another Star, it Offers a Rare Connection to Hollywood Legends The fantastic former residence of film icons...

Chin Chin to Close West Hollywood Location After 45 Years of Service

June 2, 2025

June 2, 2025

Iconic Sunset Plaza Restaurant Announces Final Day of Operations Chin Chin, the iconic Chinese eatery that has been a fixture...

LACMA’s $700M David Geffen Galleries to Open in 2026

June 2, 2025

June 2, 2025

New Structure Will Replace Original Midcentury Buildings Construction crews are entering the final stretch on the David Geffen Galleries, a...

Culver City to Frame Iconic Tree with Landmark Sculpture by Charles Gaines

June 1, 2025

June 1, 2025

Acclaimed Conceptual Artist’s Public Artwork Enters Final Phase Culver City is moving forward with the final phase of an ambitious...

Palisades Village to Reopen in 2026 with Revamped Retail, Dining, and Community Spaces

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

Elysewalker Set to Return With Park Reconstruction, Holiday Events, and Streetscape Upgrades Palisades Village, the open-air shopping and lifestyle destination...

County Assessor Stresses Need For Fire-Affected Households to Update Addresses to Receive Relief Checks

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

Assessor’s Office Offers Automatic Tax Relief for Fire-Affected Homeowners Following the destruction caused by wildfires earlier this year, the Los...

Brentwood Estate Once Owned by Hollywood A-Listers Finds Buyer in One Week

May 26, 2025

May 26, 2025

The 1929 Mediterranean-Style Home Went Under Contract in Seven Days Celebrity pedigree and classic design helped a 1929 Mediterranean-style estate...