Component One: Design and Construction of Shelter and Platform
The shelter to protect the mural—and the viewing platform that will allow the public to see the entire mural from close range—are designed to be as unobtrusive as possible in order not to detract from the surrounding historic architecture of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument.

The shelter will consist of an overhang above the mural, mounted on the roof of the Italian Hall (on the exterior wall of which the mural is painted) and extending out well beyond the mural wall. Free standing, angled side panels on both the Main Street and Olvera Street sides of the roof of the Hammel Building—the structure adjacent to the Italian Hall—will provide additional protection. These elements will in large part protect the mural from the elements—wind, rain, birds, air pollution—and will shield it significantly from the intense sunlight of Los Angeles.

In addition, a curtain will be installed close to the mural wall. This curtain can be lowered to cover the mural completely when there is no need for public access.

The viewing platform will be reached both by elevator and stair from the first floor of the Sepulveda House, giving public access to the mural for the first time since 1932. The platform—which will allow public to view the mural—will be accessed by a bridge from the Sepulveda House and will be raised slightly above the level of the roof. The platform itself, parallel to the mural wall, will extend over half the width of the rooftop to allow a number of visitors to view the mural at the same time.

Pugh + Scarpa, an architectural and engineering firm in Santa Monica, California, has designed the shelter and platform.