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Pacific Asia Museum

Museum
In Pasadena, California
0.1 mi from Route 66
National Register of Historic Places

The USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, CA, shows art from across Asia and the Pacific Islands inside a 1920s building modeled on a Chinese imperial palace. It sits practically on the Route 66 corridor through Pasadena, is free to visit, and holds around 15,000 works. The building itself is listed on the National Register, so the courtyard and carvings are as much a draw as the collection.

What is Pacific Asia Museum?

The museum occupies a building designed by the architecture firm Marston, Van Pelt & Maybury to look like a palace from imperial China. At its center is a courtyard garden with a small pool, and carved decoration appears throughout.

The collection numbers some 15,000 pieces, gathered to represent art and objects from many parts of Asia and from the Pacific Islands, with both rare examples and typical works. Since 2013 the museum has belonged to the University of Southern California, which is why its full name begins with USC.

History of Pacific Asia Museum

The building went up in the mid-1920s and is tied to Grace Nicholson, who dealt first in Native American art and later in Asian art and antiques; it carried her name as a treasure house of Asian art. In 1943 she gave the building to the City of Pasadena for art and cultural use.

In 1971 the Pacificulture Foundation bought the property from the city and opened the museum. A seismic retrofit and renovation closed it from June 2016, and it welcomed visitors again in December 2017.

Visiting Pacific Asia Museum: tips

Allow an hour or so for the galleries, and save a few quiet minutes for the courtyard. Several other Pasadena stops are close by: the Armory Center for the Arts is about 0.5 miles away, the Bekins Storage Co. Roof Sign about 0.8 miles, and the Norton Simon Museum about 1 mile, so a walking or short driving loop is easy.

Practical info

Address: 46 N. Los Robles Ave. Pasadena
Phone: +1 626-787-2680
Website: pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu
Hours: Wed–Sun 11–5
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated.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

Where to eat near Pacific Asia Museum

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Twohey's
South Pasadena, CA · 1.9 mi from Pacific Asia Museum
A 1950s-style diner in South Pasadena, founded in 1943 and known for a burger called the Little Stink-O.
Diner & restaurant
Fair Oaks Pharmacy
South Pasadena, CA · 2.2 mi from Pacific Asia Museum
A 1915 pharmacy with an old-fashioned soda fountain, on the corner where Route 66 ran down Fair Oaks Avenue.
Diner & restaurant
Philippe's
Los Angeles, CA · 8.1 mi from Pacific Asia Museum
A downtown Los Angeles restaurant running since 1908 that claims to have invented the French dip sandwich.