originally, the getty museum started in j. paul getty's house located in pacific palisades in 1954. he expanded the house with a museum wing. in the 1970s, getty built a replica of an italian villa on his home's land to better house his collection, which opened in 1974. after getty's death in 1976, the entire property was turned over to the getty trust for museum purposes. however, the collection outgrew the site, which has since been renamed the getty villa, and management sought a location more accessible to los angeles. the purchase of the land upon which the center is located, a campus of on a site in the santa monica mountains above interstate 405, surrounded by kept in a natural state, was announced in 1983. the top of the hill is above sea level, high enough that on a clear day it is possible to see not only the los angeles skyline but also the san bernardino mountains, and san gabriel mountains to the east as well as the pacific ocean to the west.