Iowa Battleship museum plans get another boost, with $4 million from L.A. harbor commission

Plans to develop a landside visitor center and adjacent park space next to the Battleship Iowa in San Pedro received an additional $4 million from the Port of Los Angeles, amid kudos from community leaders attending a recent public meeting.

The action to financially support the planned Freedom of the Seas Park and Pavilion at Berth 87 came at a recent Los Angeles harbor commission meeting. That project will include a 17,161 square-foot visitor center with 50,000 square feet of adjacent park space. Funding will from the port’s Community Investment Grant Program, a state grant, the Iowa itself and pledges.

The pre-engineered and structured building has already been delivered and is now in storage. The building is expected to be finished in early 2028, with adjacent park spaces, including Liberty Point and Freedom Plaza spaces, to follow. The entire project is expected to cost about $6 million.

The footprint, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., will include:

•  A two-story multipurpose visitor center with a 550-person capacity and park space.
• Community gathering areas.
• Educational exhibits.
• Veterans memorials of local, state and national significance.
• Maritime equipment displays.
• A restaurant and bar.
• Public art.
• A children’s play area.

The landside plans have always been part of the long-term vision for the World War II-era ship — also designated as the National Museum of the Surface Navy. It arrived in San Pedro in 2012 and has become a top tourist attraction throughout the Los Angeles area.

The Battleship Iowa will serve as the general contractor for the additional dockside development.

Planning for the park and pavilion areas began in 2020 and initial funding came from the state in 2023, Jonathan Williams, CEO of the Battleship Iowa Museum and co-founder of the National Museum of the Surface Navy, told harbor commissioners during their Thursday, Aug. 27, meeting.

Former Los Angeles Councilmember Joe Buscaino — under whose watch the Iowa arrived at the port — praised the project.

It is, he said, “exactly the kind of investment our waterfront needs,” adding that it will both honor the seaside town’s history, and provide new and needed amenities.

School groups, veterans and others are already frequent guests and visitors at the historic battleship, which provides tours against the backdrop of the nation’s history.

“This is not just an expansion of a museum,” Buscaino said. “It’s the front door to our waterfront.”

Bruce Heyman, executive director of the Los Angeles Maritime Institute and a Chamber of Commerce board member, also praised the plans.

“A rising tide floats all ships, even the Iowa,” Heyman said. “This agreement lets that partnership keep paying off.”

He and others also said the new facilities will bring much-needed visitor spaces to the town.

The museum ship already brings people to San Pedro, Buscaino said, “and this (plan) gives them a reason to stay.”

For Elise Swanson, executive director of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, the agreement brought an answer to one of her often-voiced concerns through the years. The new development, she said, will be a huge boost to the town’s tourism and hospitality efforts.

“This adds critical space,” she said, with a catering kitchen and the capacity to seat more than 500 guests.

“It matters enormously” to the town’s future, she said, publicly thanking Williams “for listening to me for so many years about (the need for) convention centers and event space.”