Museum of Death
- Museum
- In Los Angeles, California
- 0.7 mi from Route 66
The Museum of Death is an offbeat museum on Selma Avenue in Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA, about a mile off the old road, with a second location in New Orleans. Catherine Shultz and J. D. Healy opened it in 1995 with a stated aim of making people glad to be alive. It grew from their collection of material linked to killers and death. The subject is dark, so it suits travelers with strong stomachs.
What is Museum of Death?
This is a private museum devoted to death in its many forms, built from a collection the founders spent years assembling. The subject matter is grim, and the displays are not meant for everyone.
The Los Angeles site has an unusual acoustic quality. One of its buildings had earlier served as a recording studio, first as Producers Studio, whose clients included Pink Floyd, and later as Westbeach Recorders. The sound-deadening material in the walls, put there for recording, now keeps the galleries hushed.
History of Museum of Death
The collection started in San Diego as a hobby, kept in a building said to have been that city's first mortuary. Healy and Shultz wrote to serial killers and, once a year, showed the artwork their pen pals sent at a specialist event. After several years of shows, they turned the collection into a museum in 1995.
In 1999 the couple tried to buy a large amount of material connected with the Heaven's Gate cult suicides, hoping to recreate the scene. They bought many items before the main police auction, and the press attention that followed led their landlord to evict them. The museum then relocated to Los Angeles, settling first on Hollywood Boulevard.
Visiting Museum of Death: tips
Allow about an hour. There are restrooms, wheelchair access and parking. Given the content, think carefully before bringing children. The Pickford Center and the Los Angeles Fire Department museum are each about 0.6 miles away, so a lighter stop is close at hand afterward.
Practical info
- Address
- 6363 Selma Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
- Phone
- +1 323-466-8011
- Website
- museumofdeath.net
- Hours
- Daily 11 am–8 pm
- On site & nearby
Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix
Where to eat near Museum of Death
All diners on Route 66 →
On the map
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Stops near Museum of Death
All of California
0.6 mi from Museum of Death
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0.6 mi from Museum of Death
0.8 mi from Museum of Death
1.0 mi from Museum of Death
1.0 mi from Museum of Death
1.0 mi from Museum of Death
Questions about Museum of Death
Where is the Museum of Death?
On Selma Avenue in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with a second location in New Orleans.
When was the Museum of Death founded?
In 1995, by Catherine Shultz and J. D. Healy, after the collection began as a hobby in San Diego.
Own or run Museum of Death? Send us a photo or a correction.