Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, Asian Pacific American museum in Chinatown-International District, Seattle, USA
The Wing Luke Museum occupies the 1910 East Kong Yick Building at 719 South King Street, funded by 170 Chinese immigrants. Its galleries hold over 18,000 artifacts, photographs, documents, books and oral histories covering more than 26 Asian Pacific American ethnic groups. The building also preserves the former Freeman Hotel rooms, the Gee How Oak Tin Association meeting room and the Yick Fung Mercantile store.
The museum was founded in 1967 as the first institution in the United States to focus specifically on Asian Pacific American history. It moved to the East Kong Yick Building in 2008, a historic structure that itself holds deep meaning for these communities.
The museum works closely with different Asian Pacific communities to shape exhibitions that show their stories and points of view. This collaboration is visible in spaces where local groups and residents have had a direct hand in deciding what is displayed.
The museum occupies the renovated 1910 East Kong Yick Building at 719 South King Street, beside Canton Alley. Its galleries share the building with preserved historic spaces, so allow time to move between floors. The Wing also runs Chinatown Discovery Tours, founded in 1985, which lead visitors to sites in the surrounding neighborhood.
The museum preserves original rooms within the building, including a residence from Canton Alley and offices of a historic association, offering direct glimpses into how residents lived in the past. These kept spaces let visitors experience history firsthand rather than simply reading about it.
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