boston progress radio

I kind of enjoy learning about history, especially history about Asian Americans. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the new Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle, WA. Personally, I think the museum is misnamed. It really ought to be called the Wing Luke API* Museum. The new museum opened earlier this year.

The space is quite spectacular. During my visit, I joined up with the historical immersion tour, I learned that the building used to be a hotel that Chinese immigrants used during the Bachelor Society days. The East Kong Yick Building was a historic hotel built in 1910 with the pooled resources of 170 Asian American pioneers. Needless to say, the rooms were small. Natural light reached many of the rooms through light wells. Fire doors in the building were constructed from old tin cans.

In one of the rooms in the hotel part of the museum, I saw the original documents that officially welcomed Cathay Post #384, the Chinese American war veterans group into the American Legion, a society for American war veterans.

During the tour, I was also offered the opportunity to view a part of the museum that is not yet open to the public. The exhibit will feature an apartment that Chinese immigrants used during the turn of the century. I have video and photos, but I was told explicitly that I could not put them on a blog. Too bad… and I thought I had an exclusive! When I visited, the exhibit was in the process of being restored, but I was able to make out a kitchen area, a tiny bathroom under the stairs, and a store front. I guess I’ll have to come back and take a look when it is all done.

The museum is still in the process of putting on new exhibits, but their permanent collection is already up. You’ll find artifacts of significance to Asian Americans, including a history of Wing Luke, the first Asian American councilperson on the Seattle City Council. If you have a chance, go check it out.

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Tags: Arts and Culture, Chinese Americans, Community.