The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

The Museum of Contemporary Art sits in the heart of Bunker Hill, defined by a series of red sandstone towers and a sunken courtyard that drops below street level. It began in nineteen seventy-nine when a group of artists and collectors insisted Los Angeles needed a space dedicated solely to art made after nineteen forty. Mayor Tom Bradley supported the project, but the museum almost collapsed before it opened. Disputes between the founding director and the board ended in a public firing.