As wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles, two museums have been destroyed. As of the night of 8th January, many other institutions in the city remained closed, prioritizing the safety of their staff.
On 9th Jan, several fires were still active, with two now ranked among the most devastating in Los Angeles’s history. The destruction has been extensive: officials reported that five lives had been lost, and the flames had consumed 27,000 acres.
The Pacific Palisades and Eaton neighborhoods have been hit hardest, with these two fires being the largest. On Jan 8 night, a new fire also ignited in the Hollywood Hills.
Two museums have been destroyed in the fires. CBS News reported that the Bunny Museum, a beloved Altadena institution with a 50,000-piece collection of rabbit-themed artifacts, was completely lost. Co-owner Steve Lubanski estimated that four decades of work were gone.
“We managed to save only a few bunny items, along with the cats and bunnies,” the Bunny Museum shared on Facebook. “The museum was the last building to catch fire around us. Steve bravely hosed it down all night, but the fire spread to the museum when the neighboring building succumbed to the flames.”
Founded in 1998, the Bunny Museum held a cult following and has earned multiple mentions in the Guinness Book of World Records. Last March, SFGate described it as “one of the weirdest, wildest places in California.”
The fires also destroyed a ranch that housed a Beverly Hills Museum honoring actor Will Rogers. In a statement to the Museums Association, Rogers’s great-granddaughter, Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, expressed the family’s sorrow: “The Rogers family is heartbroken over the loss of the California ranch and the immense loss suffered by the community. Our thoughts are with all the neighbors who have lost their homes.”
There was some good news for major art institutions. Although the Pacific Palisades fire reached the Getty Villa on Tuesday night, the museum remained unscathed. Flames only affected trees and vegetation on the property, thanks to the museum’s double-walled construction and irrigation systems, which protected the campus.
On the other hand, Eames House remains intact, and the visits have been suspended due to the surrounding fires.Palisades Charter High School suffered “significant damage,” although its main campus building remains intact. Established in 1961 at a reported cost of $6 million, the school serves approximately 3,000 students from across Los Angeles. Fortunately, no students were on campus this week. The Palisades Fire completely destroyed Will Rogers’ historic Western Ranch House, a property dating back to the 1920s. Situated on 186 acres in Pacific Palisades with views of the Pacific Ocean, the estate featured 31 rooms, stables, a riding ring, a roping arena, a polo field, a golf course, and hiking trails. The renowned actor and radio personality, once among the highest-paid stars of his time, used the ranch for horse riding and roping practice until his death in 1935. Betty Rogers, his widow, donated the property to the state in 1944, and it was later designated a historic state park.
