The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved on Friday, Jan. 26 a 35-year lease to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for the use of a vacant building at South Los Angeles Wetlands Park near the corner of 55th Street and Avalon Boulevard.

LACMA will use up to 35,000 square feet in the 84,000-square-foot building to host exhibitions, art education and recreational and cultural programming for young people and families.

The museum won’t have to pay rent, but the lease requires LACMA to repair the building and remove hazardous waste from it, and then have 10,000 square feet ready for public use within 18 months. The building was formerly a bus maintenance and storage facility.

South Los Angeles Wetlands Park is nine acres and is owned and managed by the city’s department of recreation and parks.

In addition to the South L.A. park, LACMA also hopes to use a vacant site at Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park, a 104-acre, county-run park at 905 E. El Segundo Blvd. just south of the 105 freeway.

Real estate reporter Ciaran McEvoy can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 556-8337.