404 Third Ave
San Diego
CA
92101
1 (619) 338 9888
In 1986, the San Diego Chinese Historical Society formed in order to preserve and share Chinese and Chinese American history and culture. Ten years later, it founded a museum, which has outgrown its original building, welcomed over 800 current members, launched successful education and community outreach programs and become a landmark in the downtown community.
The society initially formed to rescue the Chinese Mission building, built in 1927 and designed by the nephew of famed local architect Irving Gill, which served as a place of worship and a social center for San Diego’s Chinese community for over thirty years. The building lay outside the proposed Asian Pacific Historic District and in the path of redevelopment, but after two years of effort, the City of San Diego approved a plan to relocate and renovate the Chinese Mission building as a home for the museum. After raising approximately $460,000 for the relocation and renovation of the mission building, the museum officially opened on January 13, 1996.
The museum’s exhibits share the heritage of San Diego’s Chinese community and the essence of Chinese arts and culture through historic photographs, miniature models, ancient artifacts and explanatory text. Special events also celebrate holidays like the Chinese New Year, the Moon Festival, and Veterans Day.
Since 1998, museum education and outreach programs have been bringing history to local schools and community organizations. Today, twelve distinct presentations are available in schools or at the museum, with museum and Asian Pacific Historic District tours available in conjunction with in-house presentations. An average of nearly 2,000 people participate in these programs each year, with an average annual increase of 35%.
The historic mission building rapidly filled up with donations from supporters, so the museum had to expand in 2004. The Capital Funds Campaign raised $900,000 for the project, and the museum purchased a space at 328 J St to model into a modern gallery that now hosts regularly rotating cultural, historical and artistic exhibits. This space also houses the museum library and a lecture hall complete with modern audio-visual equipment and seating for large groups.
In May 2013, the museum opened the Chuang Archive and Learning Center a block away from the mission building. The center currently is currently used as a space for local artist to exhibit their work and a venue for the museum's larger events. In the long run, the museum hopes to turn the space into an archive for it's ever growing collections and an educational facility.
