Day 181: Grace Nicholson Building, USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California
📌APIA Every Day (181) - The USC Pacific Asia Museum, located in Pasadena, is housed in the historic Grace Nicholson Building, a Chinese-style mansion completed in 1924. Grace Nicholson, born in Philadelphia in 1877, moved to California in 1901 and established a curio shop in Pasadena, initially focusing on Southwestern Native American art. Her expertise and growing interest in Asian art led her to commission the construction of the building, designed by the architectural firm Marston, Van Pelt, and Maybury, inspired by the Imperial Palace Courtyard style of Beijing. The building, featuring authentic Chinese materials and craftsmanship, opened in 1925, becoming a cultural hub with galleries, an auditorium, and Nicholson's private apartment.
Grace Nicholson donated the building to the City of Pasadena in 1943, retaining her private quarters until her death in 1948. The Pasadena Art Institute, later renamed the Pasadena Art Museum, occupied the building until 1970. In 1971, the Pacificulture Foundation moved in, and in 1987, the foundation purchased the building, transforming it into the Pacific Asia Museum. In 2013, the museum partnered with the University of Southern California, becoming the USC Pacific Asia Museum. The building is celebrated for its historical and architectural significance, with a courtyard inspired by traditional Chinese gardens and symbolic elements like Taihu rocks, dragons, and koi ponds. The Grace Nicholson Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and has been designated as a Cultural Heritage Landmark by Pasadena and Los Angeles, as well as a Historical Landmark by the State of California.
LEARN MORE:
National Archive Catalog: Grace Nicholson Building, Pacific Asia Museum
USC Pacific Asia Museum: The Grace Nicholson Building
USC Pacific Asia Museum: Grace Nicholson: How It All Began
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