OH! MY STARS RENOVATION PROJECT SHORT ON FUNDS.

Byline: Mariel Garza Staff Writer

As the Griffith Observatory prepares to close for a three-year, $63 million renovation and expansion, project supporters said Tuesday they are short millions of dollars but expect to raise enough funds before a spring groundbreaking.

After more than three years of fund-raising, Friends of the Griffith Observatory has raised about $47.5 million toward the project, which will feature a new planetarium theater, subterranean exhibit hall and an auditorium, among other attractions. Officials have vowed to continue their fund-raising efforts until the May 2002 groundbreaking.

``We need an additional $4 (million) to $5 million in hand when construction starts,'' said Joy Picus, president of Friends of the Observatory and a former Los Angeles councilwoman.

Much of the money for the project has come from city, county and state sources, including an $18 million county bond measure, Picus said. Donations also have come from private individuals and foundations such as the W.M. Keck Foundation, which contributed $1 million.

The first major private gift was made earlier this year with a $1 million donation from ``Star Trek'' alumnus Leonard Nimoy and his wife, Susan Bay Nimoy.

``We're very excited it will be a world-class institution again,'' Nimoy said. ``It has serviced the community extremely well for many years and it deserves an update.''

Come Jan. 7, the 66-year-old hilltop icon will close for renovation, restoration and expansion that will bring the aging copper dome into the 21st century.

``People are going to be thrilled,'' said Edwin Krupp, an astronomer and the observatory director.

When visitors return to the observatory in late 2004, they will see the Art Deco building restored to its original, 1935-era luster.

``It will, in fact, look just like the observatory has always looked,'' Krupp said. ``The view of the observatory and from the observatory will remain essentially unchanged.''

But inside, nearly everything will be new - state-of-the art technology, updated and more relevant exhibits, and a renovated Planetarium Theater redesigned right down to the seats.

``Griffith has the most uncomfortable seats on the planet,'' Krupp said, only half-jokingly. ``They do violate the Geneva convention and we are looking forward to replacing them, as is everyone in Los Angeles.''

One of the centerpieces of the new Planetarium Theater will be a custom-made star projector, touted as the best projector yet made - the Zeiss Universarium Mark IX.

Rehabilitation of the existing structure is just one aspect of the overall project. Because expansion to the building couldn't occur without essentially changing the structure, they're taking their plans underground.

Deep underneath the observatory's front lawn, a 35,000-square-foot expansion will feature exhibition halls, a 200-seat auditorium called the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon, and the Depths of Space exhibit hall.

Krupp said some exhibits will remain, including the sun telescope, but they will be joined by new exhibits that incorporate advanced technology, such as a digital projection of the universe.

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(1 -- 2) The Griffith Observatory will retain its signature domes, top, following its $63 million renovation, but a number of new exhibits featuring state-of-the-art technology will be added to the stellar experience, above.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer