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Chinese American Museum

Museum
In Los Angeles, California
0.6 mi from Route 66

The Chinese American Museum tells the story of Chinese Americans in California from a historic building in downtown Los Angeles, CA, less than a mile off the old road. It lies within El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the city's historic monument area, and was the first museum of its kind in Southern California. Its home, the Garnier Building, stands where the city's original Chinatown once grew.

What is Chinese American Museum?

The museum shows two kinds of exhibits: historical displays on the Chinese American experience in California, and art made by Chinese American artists.

The building itself is part of the story. No older Chinese building survives anywhere in Southern California than the Garnier Building. Los Angeles's first Chinatown stood here, before the neighborhood was moved to New Chinatown to make room for Union Station. Walking through its rooms, visitors stand on the very ground where that early community lived and worked.

History of Chinese American Museum

Work on the museum started long before it opened. Planning began in October 1984, and the grand opening came on December 18, 2003, nearly two decades later.

The museum depends on a wide group of supporters. The State of California and the City of Los Angeles help fund it, along with a regional Chinese historical society, the Getty Foundation, a friends group, a Chinese medicine center, and several hundred private donors. That broad backing shows how much the project has meant to the community.

Visiting Chinese American Museum: tips

Plan on about an hour. The museum's two strands, history and art, make it worth a look even for visitors with little background in the subject. LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes and the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles are each about 0.1 miles away, so the three museums make a natural walking group in the El Pueblo area. Union Station, whose construction moved the old Chinatown, is part of the same downtown story.

Practical info

Address: 425 North Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website: camla.org
Hours: Fri–Sun 10–3
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Chinese American Museum

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Philippe's
Los Angeles, CA · 0.3 mi from Chinese American Museum
A downtown Los Angeles restaurant running since 1908 that claims to have invented the French dip sandwich.
Diner & restaurant
Pink's Hot Dogs
Los Angeles, CA · 6.3 mi from Chinese American Museum
A Los Angeles hot dog stand on North La Brea Avenue, serving since 1939 at the edge of Hollywood.
Diner & restaurant
Musso & Frank Grill
Los Angeles, CA · 6.3 mi from Chinese American Museum
Hollywood's oldest restaurant, operating on Hollywood Boulevard since 1919 and named for its two founders.