The Getty Villa is one of the two main venues of the Getty Museum, one of the biggest institutions in Los Angeles. It houses many of the Getty's most important antiquities from ancient Greece and Rome.
Posted on 01/08/2025 6:22:38 AM PST by Red Badger
The grounds of the Getty Villa caught fire on Tuesday as a blaze continued tearing through the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. The museum and its staff were not harmed, according to a statement issued today by the Getty, which said that the Getty Villa will remain closed through January 13.
“Irrigation was immediately deployed throughout the grounds Tuesday morning,” the statement said. “Museum galleries and library archives were sealed off from smoke by state-of-the-art air handling systems. The double-walled construction of the galleries also provides significant protection for the collections.”
The Getty Villa is one of the two main venues of the Getty Museum, one of the biggest institutions in Los Angeles. It houses many of the Getty’s most important antiquities from ancient Greece and Rome.
The villa is regularly closed on Tuesdays, so there were no members of the public present today when the fire neared the museum. But Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, said in her statement that the Getty Villa “swiftly closed” on Tuesday, with non-emergency staff disallowed from entering.
Some 30,000 people were evacuated by officials due to the wildfire, which may gain in intensity as a result of winds forecasted for tonight and early tomorrow morning. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Per Californian officials, the fire has covered 1,200 acres so far. Earlier in the day, officials said it had only touched 300 acres of space.
Fleming said that “some trees and vegetation” on the Getty Villa campus had burned, but the collection and all staff members were safe.
“We are grateful for the tireless work of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department, and other agencies to keep the Villa and its staff safe, as well as for the on-site presence of fire trucks throughout the day,” she wrote.
“... the Original Tommy’s.”
What do you recommened at Original Tommy’s? The famous chili cheeseburger? I’ve never tried the place. I was tempted to give it a shot when I was in Pasadena last week but went to The Hat instead.
What do you recommened at Original Tommy’s?
Depends. If you want a lot of chile, then the Chile Tamale or Chili Cheese Dog. If you want a burger, then a Double Cheeseburger. Don’t bother with the fries...too new, get potato chips instead.
Thanks for the guidance!
Any time, food is GREAT there! By the way, the original location is at the corner of Rampart and Beverly Dr., a few miles northwest of downtown. It’s legendary!
I don’t see any news that the homeless camps were in danger. Just the expensive homes being burned.
The logical answer to this problem is to turn all of LA into a homeless camp so it won’t burn down.
Getty’s management must be preppers and not expecting the government to fight their fires and keep them safe.
Getty’s management must be preppers and not expecting the government to fight their fires and keep them safe.
Insurance companies require all sorts of special protection for insuring valuable art pieces against theft and/or damage/destruction.
If the museum wanted fire insurance extraordinary measures would be required.
My art collecting relatives had to move into a gated community with armed guards if they wanted to insure their art from theft—as an example.
Getty was a smart man. His son not so much................
Just a shame that James Woods lost his home & that he & his neighbors lost their insurance 4 months earlier.
Not really being familiar with the extent of the homeless population being in that area, I did a search, and apparently there are/were indeed some there:
From 2015: In upscale Pacific Palisades, reaching out to a rising homeless population
From 2017: The mystery homeless woman of Pacific Palisades
From 2024: October 2024 – A Bridge Home for Paul
So, either they have moved them out of that area, or they are just not telling us of their status. But if the homeless are being spared, then at least they have a small victory they can celebrate, but it's a hollow victory nonetheless.
“... Original Tommy’s.”
I do miss those chili cheese burgers...
The Getty Villa is one of the two main venues of the Getty Museum, one of the biggest institutions in Los Angeles. It houses many of the Getty's most important antiquities from ancient Greece and Rome.
Nice catch! The villa’s layout copies that of the Villa of the Papyri (”Villa dei Papiri”) in Herculaneum.
The Getty is FABULOUS!
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