At the Broad Art Foundation's 25th anniversary event tonight in Santa Monica, there was talk that a museum for Eli Broad's art collection — formerly contemplated in Beverly Hills — is now a live possibility for the Santa Monica Civic Center. Quite live. The Santa Monica City Council will begin considering a proposal at Tuesday's meeting. The conceptual proposal calls for the museum to be built on 2.5 acres of city land facing Main Street between the civic auditorium and the county courthouse, with Broad's foundations picking up most of the design and construction costs.

"The benefits of the proposal are readily apparent. The City would gain a world-class cultural amenity in the Civic Center," says the city manager's report, adding that Broad wants a quick decision on the proposal. The chatter tonight was that architect Thom Mayne has the inside track to design the museum if it goes to Santa Monica.