California Wildfires

Here's how the Getty Center's design protects it against wildfires

The Getty Center, located in Brentwood, draws 1.8 million visitors annually and houses hundreds of centuries-old art pieces from renowned artists such as Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Monet.

Museum and Cultural Center Getty Center
Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images

Even though the Getty Center is now under the mandatory evacuation zone as a result of the Palisades wildfire, the center says there's no other place where its priceless art collection could be safer.

The Getty Center, situated in Brentwood, draws 1.8 million visitors annually and houses hundreds of centuries-old art pieces from renowned artists such as Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Monet.

But even though as of Saturday, the center was included in a mandatory evacuation zone as a result of the Palisades Fire expansion into Brentwood, the center insisted its campus is the "safest place possible" for its massive art collection.

"There is no need to evacuate the art or archives, because they are already in the safest place possible: the Getty Center itself," the center said in a statement. "The Center is a marvel of anti-fire engineering. Both indoors and outdoors, its materials, design, construction, operations, and controls are purpose-built for safety."

The Getty Center said its buildings are made of fire-resistant stone, concrete, and protected steel while its campus is surrounded by travertine plazas and well-irrigated landscaping designed to slow down the spread of fire.

"Fire-resistant landscaping spans the Getty campus and the surrounding land," the center said. "This includes drought-resistant plants and oak trees, whose canopies are regularly pruned to prevent them from becoming fuel for fire."

But the fire protection does not stop there, according to the center, the building's interiors have reinforced concrete walls with fire-protected steel and automatic fire doors that can trap fires in sealed-off areas.

The interior is also equipped with an air conditioning system designed to maintain a pressure flow to keep outside smoke out.

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