Heritage Square Museum, Open-air history museum in Montecito Heights, Los Angeles, United States

Heritage Square Museum is an open-air museum in Los Angeles featuring eight preserved buildings from the period between 1876 and 1899. The structures were moved here from different locations around the city to display the architectural styles of that era.

In 1969, at the request of the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission, citizens founded the Cultural Heritage Foundation to counter the demolition of Victorian buildings during the 1960s. The foundation created Heritage Square as a last-chance site for significant structures, which were moved there between 1969 and 2005. The Mount Pleasant House arrived in 1975, the Carriage Barn in 1981, and the Hale House was acquired in 1970.

The museum's name comes from the Heritage Square project that gathered the buildings; the Mount Pleasant House, built for lumber baron William Hayes Perry, has Corinthian columns and marble fireplace mantles that marked the family's wealth. The John J. Ford House holds hand-carved woodwork by Ford, who carved for the California State Capitol and Iolani Palace in Hawaii.

The museum is best visited on weekends when it opens for tours. Wear comfortable shoes and allow time to walk through the buildings and gardens at your own pace.

A train station from 1875 shows how the railroad changed Los Angeles and connected it to other cities. The Palms Depot reminds visitors of the time when trains were the main link between Los Angeles and the coast.