How many museums is too much and How many is enough ???

Looking to ease tensions between backers of two Los Angeles cultural institutions, the City Council delayed a planned renovation of the Autry Museum on Tuesday, requesting a new review of the $6.6 million project.

In a rare move, the City Council decided to seize authority over the project from the city's Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners, which had approved the plans two weeks ago. The Autry is seeking to add two exhibition areas and a garden space on about 18,000 square feet of space at its Griffith Park site.

Backers of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian had objected to the project, fearing it would detract from their own efforts to reopen the Mount Washington facility.

Relations between backers of the Southwest Museum and Autry executives have been strained since the two institutions merged in 2003. To the dismay of northeast Los Angeles residents, who hoped the Autry National Center would revitalize the Southwest Museum, the museum instead was closed in 2009.