The afternoon debate before a standing-room-only crowd extended into the evening hours.
John Gray, the Autry's chief executive, told council members meeting as the city Board of Referred Powers that his museum "always anticipated expansion" in Griffith Park. He disputed suggestions that the Autry was, in essence, looting the Southwest Museum of its artifacts and preparing to convert it for another use.
Architect Brenda Levin explained how the enlarged Autry will scrap its current Spanish motif for a more nonspecific look. It would feature a "convergence canyon" that would integrate artifacts and artwork from the Southwest Museum with those of the Autry's collection, which some critics say has tended to lean heavily toward the pop-culture mythology of the cowboy Wild West.
Opponents of the expansion argued the project was too big, its effect on the Southwest Museum would be too major, and the Autry's compensation to the city for its 12 acres of parkland -- $1 a year -- was too meager.
Nicole Possert, head of a coalition to preserve the Southwest Museum, complained of the "myth consistently spun by the Autry" that the Mount Washington landmark will not be adversely effected by the Autry's expansion.
It was City Councilman Jose Huizar, who represents the Mount Washington area, who broke the stalemate. He proposed that the city require Autry officials to sign an "airtight" written pledge to protect both the Southwest Museum and its 250,000 artifacts before the expansion proceeds.
The board agreed to delay consideration of the project for a month to give the two museums time, as Councilwoman Janice Hahn put it, "to codify" a future operating agreement.
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bob.pool@latimes.com
