Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, Seattle

Named after the first Asian American elected to public office in the American Northwest, the Wing Luke museum opened in 1967 in a small storefront in 8th Avenue Seattle.

The Wing Luke Museum later purchased the Kong Yick East building and employed Olson Kundig Architects to renovate the old building to accommodate the museum’s growing collection of exhibits. The museum now hosts meetings of the Asian Community, theater performances, art exhibitions of emerging Asian American artists and family oriented learning programs. The original building was built by Chinese laborers as a meeting place for early Chinese emigrants in 1910.

The museum showcases Asian American folk art, photographs, oral histories, video histories and a library. Permanent exhibits show the journey of Asian American emigrants in the Pacific Northwest, the story of Wing Luke, the history of the Seattle Chinatown and its surroundings and community portrait galleries showing the stories of different Asian communities including Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans and a Cambodian cultural museum with a special memorial for those who perished in Pol Pot’s Killing Fields.

The Wing Luke Museum is open to the public and the library is open Monday through Saturday. The museum shop features an array of Asian American crafts and has books on the Asian American experience. Asian visitors and visitors from all over the world will learn a great deal from the museum about the life and times of Asian immigrants to the American Pacific Northwest.

Why You Should Visit:
Great museum for history buffs and Asiaphiles.
They also have a really cute gift shop – don't forget to take a peek before leaving.

Tip:
The docent-led tours of the private rooms are by far the most captivating part of the museum – well worth it.
Their culinary themed tours are seasonal and often sell out. Note: this is by advance reservation and payment and a separate event from visiting the main museum area and the docent-led tour.