By Jorge Casuso
July 9, 2026 -- Santa Monica's quaint and iconic Camera Obscura building in Palisades Park will get a major makeover for the 2028 Summer Olympics as part of the City's efforts to cash in on major regional events.
Built in 1955 as the city's Senior Recreation Center, the building features what the Santa Monica Conservancy calls a "quirky artifact -- a pinhole camera capturing images from outside and showing them in a darkened room."
The camera obscura will be preserved under an agreement approved by the Council on May 26 with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) to transform the building into a vibrant public hub in advance of and during the Games," according to City staff.
"The space is envisioned as a place where Switzerland connects with local communities and international visitors through curated programming centered on sports, art, food, and culture," City staff wrote in a report to the Council.
During activation, the Camera Obscura building would be open to the public free of charge, staff said.
On Tuesday, the Council is expected to approve a $613,838 contract with Omgivning, Inc. to renovate the existing 5,000-square-foot space.
The Swiss government's FDFA is paying a license fee of $300,000, with "the possibility for an additional $200,000 if the FDFA elects to exercise Optional Expansion Area," staff wrote.
The Camera Obscura building, now known as the Camera Obscura Art Lab, has acted as the City’s community arts practice space, hosting artists-in-residence in the studio room three times a year, according to staff.
"The Art Lab recently was relocated to Bergamot Station to make the building available for other public activations and eventually construction."
According to staff, "The collaborative investment in the renovation of the Camera Obscura building and its surroundings would return a beautified and improved asset to the Santa Monica community as a lasting legacy project."
The Camera Obscura building was designed by noted architect Weldon J. Fulton and is characteristic of Fulton’s mid-century modernism with its "large-scale diagonal script attached to the building’s exterior" and an abstract image of a box camera atop a tripod," according to the Conservancy.
The camera obsucra was bought by the City in 1910 and moved near its existing location "to attract tourists" with a "popular novelty (that) would draw visitors to the park."
"The cameras became popular tourist attractions in the 19th century and were commonly found in seaside resorts," the Conservancy wrote.
The Reimagining Camera Obscura Project is expected to get the go-ahead two weeks after the Council voted to mount "an authentic Swiss holiday market" on the Pier's parking deck during this year's holiday season.
The proposed Swiss Winter Village -- which will take place from November 2 through January 15 -- will bring in a minimum guaranteed payment of $320,200 or 8 percent of net revenue from tickets that will go for $15, whichever is greater.