Shelter and Viewing Platform

The protective shelter for América Tropical consists of a wrapped steel-framed canopy that projects out to protect the mural from the intense Southern California sun and occasional rain. Free-standing angled side shades on both Main Street and Olvera Street provide additional protection. Adding yet another layer of protection, a roll-down screen that can be lowered to cover the mural when it is not open for public viewing was installed. Together, the shelter, side shades, and screen help protect the mural from sun, wind, rain, birds, and air pollution.

The viewing platform, accessible by elevator or stairs through the América Tropical Interpretive Center located in the Sepulveda House, provides public access to the mural for the first time since the 1930s.

The design for the shelter and the viewing platform, by Los Angeles–based Brooks + Scarpa, went through a public-approval process prior to construction. Their contemporary design takes into consideration the surrounding streetscape in which the mural is located. The colors and textures of the shelter reference the historic architecture of Olvera Street and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument.

The engineering challenges were considerable. One was the need to support the structure independently of the historic Italian Hall on which the mural is painted. A second involved offering an unobstructed view of the mural from the viewing platform. And, finally, the structure needed to span the archaeologically significant Zanja Madre (Mother Ditch), the first aqueduct to be built when the pueblo of Los Angeles was established in the late 18th century, which runs across a corner of the building's basement below the mural.