Getty Villa reopens Friday, nearly 6 months after Palisades Fire. Here's what you need to know
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Getty Villa reopened Friday for the first time since January's devastating Palisades Fire. And after nearly six months without visitors, the museum is set to debut a new exhibit.
The Villa had been closed since Jan. 7, when the Palisades Fire burned through the surrounding area. The museum itself did not sustain any damage in the blaze -- the grounds, however, did.
The Getty lost around 1,300 trees, and the irrigation and security systems melted. Thankfully, staff members were able to protect the buildings and priceless art collections inside the museum.
Since then, crews have been working to repair the damages to the grounds as quickly as possible.
They haven't erased all the evidence of the fire, though -- they say this is in honor of all this community has endured.
"We didn't want to sort of erase the fact that this had happened," J. Paul Getty Trust spokesperson Katherine Elizabeth Fleming said. "The Getty is always thought of as a really beautiful place, and I think it might have been the initial impulse to try and get everything back to the way it was as swiftly as possible. But we realized that it was really important, actually, that we leave some of the natural markers in our gardens that show that we have been through this fire. With time, they aren't going to show nearly as clearly anymore, and that itself will be kind of a nice thing to witness."
To kick off the reopening, the Villa debuted its newest exhibit, "The Kingdom of Pylos," which features more than 230 works of Messenian art and artifacts. Many of the pieces are being seen for the first time in the United States.
Friday's reopening was expected to bring crowds, but the Villa's hours of operation will be on a limited schedule: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday through Monday.
While admission is free, timed-entry reservations are required, with the museum only admitting 500 people a day. Reservations are currently booked through July 6.
