New OC Museum of Art building to offer free admission, thanks to $2.5M gift

COSTA MESA, Calif. (KABC) -- When the doors open at the new Orange County Museum of Art one year from now, admission will be free for at least a decade.

The museum plans to use a $2.5 million gift it received to offer free admission for 10 years, according to the Orange County Register.

The gift was from Newport Beach-based Lugano Diamonds.

The $93 million facility is under construction at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, with an expected opening date of Oct. 8, 2022.

The museum was first established in 1962 and has been working for more than a decade on expanding to a new home.