Glorya Kaufman Community Center

The Glorya Kaufman Community Center is a 9,500 square foot expansion of the Wende Museum campus in Culver City, transforming a 2,000 square-foot abandoned A-frame house into a vibrant cultural hub. The project adds light-filled classrooms, flexible performance venues, and welcoming gathering spaces that expand the museum’s mission of cultural engagement, community enrichment, and creative collaboration.

Set on a narrow site, the design connects the museum’s existing concrete armory with the restored A-frame and a new 7,500 square-foot, ground-up architectural concrete structure. The exposed structural concrete includes board-formed and smooth finishes achieved through tight tolerances and collaboration among the design, engineering, and construction teams. The building features vertical louvers, floor-to-ceiling windows, cantilevered outdoor stairs and balconies, and thoughtfully integrated garden landscaping.

With adaptive reuse at its core, the project diverted 110 metric tons of waste and cut embodied carbon by 32%. The result is a sustainable, inclusive space that serves thousands of residents and community groups each year.