Long Beach Museum of Art facts for kids

The Long Beach Museum of Art is a cool place to visit in Long Beach, California. It's right on Ocean Boulevard in the Bluff Park area. This museum is full of amazing art for everyone to enjoy.

The museum has a huge collection of over 4,000 pieces of art. These include paintings, drawings, sculptures, and decorative items. They have a special focus on American decorative arts, early 20th-century European art, and modern and contemporary art from California. The museum is part of a program that lets you visit other museums too. It is also officially recognized by the American Alliance of Museums.

History of the Museum Building

The building where the Long Beach Museum of Art is located has a long and interesting past. It was first built in 1912 as a winter home.

Who Built the House?

A rich lady named Elizabeth Milbank Anderson had the house built. She was a very generous person who gave a lot of money to good causes. Her father, Jeremiah Milbank, was a successful businessman. He helped start the Borden Company, which makes milk products.

Elizabeth Milbank Anderson (1850–1921) was a strong and smart woman. She was good at business and loved to travel. In 1905, she started the Milbank Memorial Fund. This fund gave money to help with medical and education projects. She also donated a library and land for a college building in New York City. She even built public facilities for people who needed them, like sports areas and public baths. She also started a program to give free school lunches. Her husband, Abram A. Anderson, was a famous painter and a friend of President Teddy Roosevelt.

From Club to Museum

In 1926, the house became a fancy club called Club California Casa Real. People would go there for social events, sports, and to enjoy the beach.

From 1929 to 1944, a man named Thomas A. O’Donnell owned the house. He was a very important person in California's oil industry. He helped develop oil fields and was a leader in big oil companies.

During World War II, the United States Navy used the house as a club for their Chief Petty Officers. After the war, in 1950, the City of Long Beach bought the house. They turned it into a Municipal Art Center. In 1957, it officially became the Long Beach Museum of Art.

Museum Features and Updates

In 1974, the museum was even featured in a famous book called Reader's Digest's Treasures of America. The book highlighted a large sculpture at the museum called Two Lines Up-Speed by George Rickey.

As of 2025, the City of Long Beach still owns the museum. However, a private group called the Long Beach Museum of Art Foundation manages its daily activities. Around the year 2000, this foundation worked hard to fix up the old building. They also moved the old carriage house and built a new two-story area for art exhibits. All this work was finished in September 2000.

The Architects Behind the Building

The original house and carriage house were designed by the Milwaukee Building Company. This company was very good at building and designed other homes for the Milbank family. Later, the Milwaukee Building Company became a famous firm called Meyer & Holler. They designed many well-known buildings, including the Chinese and Egyptian Theaters in Hollywood. In Long Beach, they designed the Ocean Center Building and Walker's Department Store.

Visiting the Museum

The Long Beach Museum of Art is open from Thursday to Sunday, from 11 AM to 5 PM. It's a great place to spend an afternoon looking at art.

Claire's at the Museum Café

The museum also has a café with a beautiful ocean view called Claire's at the Museum. You can sit outside and enjoy lunch there. They also have a popular brunch on weekends. The restaurant is named after Claire Falkenstein. She was an American sculptor who created the amazing fountain in the restaurant. It's called Structure and Flow and has cool twisting metal designs. She gave this fountain to the museum in 1972.

Learning and Programs

The museum offers many programs to help people learn about art.

Programs for Students

The museum has a special area called the Toyota Student Gallery. Here, you can see artwork made by children and students from the local community.

Since 1999, the museum has run a program called KidsVisions. This program teaches art to all fifth-grade students in the Long Beach Unified School District. The lessons follow important art standards for schools.

The museum also offers free Toyota Tours for all school groups, whether they are public or private schools.

Tours for Everyone

If you are part of a group of 10 to 15 people, you can schedule a special tour led by an educator. These tours help you learn more about the art and history of the museum.

See also

• List of City of Long Beach Historic Landmarks
• Sue Ann Robinson