LOS ANGELES (AP) Billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad said Tuesday he's hit on a failsafe way to expose the most people possible to his collection of priceless contemporary art: He's going to let everybody in for free to the $140 million museum he's building in downtown Los Angeles.
Broad made the announcement during a hard-hat tour of the block-long, three-story building that is going up next door to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. To be called The Broad, it is scheduled to open toward the end of next year.
"Art is very inspirational," the philanthropist and passionate collector told The Associated Press during a brief interview before Tuesday's tour. "Art helps people be more creative in their thinking."
The new museum, meanwhile, continues a Broad-led transformation of a once-rundown neighborhood just south of City Hall. The area has seen a large park and numerous new and refurbished upscale residences and restaurants in recent years, as well as the Frank Gehry-designed Disney Hall, which Broad also helped get built.
"I've always believed that every city needs a vibrant center, and it occurred to me 50 years ago when we came here that Los Angeles was missing a vibrant center," the 80-year-old Michigan native said of his adopted hometown.