Zimmer Children's Museum Moving To Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA) — The Zimmer Children's Museum will relocate from its Los Angeles location on Museum Row in the Miracle Mile district to Santa Monica Place late this year, it was announced today.

The museum, which features interactive exhibits and arts-based programming designed to promote creativity, diversity and social responsibility among children, will occupy more than 20,000 square feet at Santa Monica Place, a Macherich-owned mall located adjacent to the Third Street Promenade and near the Santa Monica Pier.

The museum, which started as a 600-square-foot playspace in the Westside Jewish Community Center, currently occupies 10,000 square feet at 6505 Wilshire Blvd.

Museum officials said they will be contracting expert exhibit designers and architects to design the new space, with initial renderings to be issued soon.

"Our board leaders have been preparing for this move for many years,'' said Andy Kaplan, who chairs the board of ShareWell, a nonprofit organization that also operates youTHink, a youth development program for underserved teens.

"Our efforts to serve children, youth and families are directly linked to visibility and accessibility, both of which are abundantly available at Santa Monica Place,'' he said. "We are very excited about joining the Macerich family and opening our world-class children's museum in the heart of the city of Santa Monica.''

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